The New ETV Year
It’s time to apply for a 2022-23 ETV – youth should visit www.fc2sprograms.org, click on ETV and then scroll down to their state.
Blog
Our new home
Foster Care to Success is pleased to announce that we have moved our headquarters to Cleveland, Ohio.
We look forward to being an active part of the Cleveland philanthropic community!
23811 Chagrin Blvd., Suite 210, Cleveland, OH 44122
Issues Day Panel Speaker: Gabe Gonzalez’s Journey to Success
National Campaign Director, Center for Community Change
Nelson Mandela once said, “Social equality is the only basis of human happiness.” This could not be more true for Gabe Gonzalez, national campaign director for the Center for Community Change.
On June 9, 2015, Foster Care to Success (FC2S) hosted an “Issues Day Panel” where Gabe, one of five socially conscious experts, visited Marymount University to speak with our 2015 Aim Higher students about issues that could expand their pathways to success.
Gabe’s passion and commitment for social justice illuminated the faces of each and every student as he explained the significance of this field and how students can get involved—and find true happiness.
FC2S spoke with Gabe about why participating in Issues Day was important and what has attributed to his #journeytosuccess.
Issues Day Panel Speaker: Chris Poulos’s Journey to Success
Chris Poulos, Fellow at The Sentencing Project
Chris Poulos has a pretty impressive resume: He’s currently a fellow at The Sentencing Project, chairs a subcommittee for the Mayor of Portland, Maine and will graduate with a law degree in 2016.
Although Chris has many great accomplishments, he still faces one problem: He cannot rent an apartment in Washington D.C. because Chris was a convicted felon.
On June 9, 2015, Foster Care to Success (FC2S) hosted an “Issues Day Panel” where five socially conscious experts visited Marymount University to speak with our 2015 Aim Higher students about issues that could expand their pathways to success.
Using his unique background, Poulos showed students the value in using adversity as a pathway to advocate for issues, both during school and after graduation.
FC2S spoke with Chris to learn more about why participating in Issues Day was important and what has attributed to his #journeytosuccess.
Issues Day Panel Speaker: Daniayla Stein’s Journey to Success
Daniayla Stein, Communications Specialist at InSight Telepsychiatry
The class of 2015 Aim Higher Fellows all took a risk this summer when they committed to our program designed to help them understand the realities of receiving a post-secondary education, getting a job and becoming successful young professionals. Some had never been on a plane, some had never left their hometowns, and almost all of them had never been around a group of other foster youth in one place. Despite the unknowns, they all took a step to discover more.
Seek more to know more. This was the idea behind the Fellows’ “Issues Day Panel,” where five socially conscious experts visited the Marymount campus to speak with our students about issues that could expand their pathways to success, as well as better our future.
One of which affects 50-75% of foster youth, the issue is behavioral health. Daniayla Stein of InSight Telepsychiatry passionately shared her company’s mission to increase behavioral health care through technological advances that is commonly referred to as telehealth.
Foster Care to Success caught up with Daniayla to learn more about why participating in Issues Day was important and what has attributed to her #journeytosuccess.
Oklahoma Congressman Opens His Heart and Home to Two Adopted Daughters
Photo Credit: Congressman Markwayne Mullin
Markwayne and wife Christie were learning to adjust their hectic lives to his Washington duties. His three children, Jim (11), Andrew (9), Larra (6), were managing practices, homework and other family commitments, when the family fell in love with Ivy and Lynette (now 4). The twins had been living separately with two of Christie’s elderly 70 year old aunts. Although the girls were getting the love and care from the women, Christie felt compelled that her family should step in to bring the sisters together and raise them as their own daughters.
Markwayne was initially reluctant; he worried about the demands of the transition to Washington, the impact on his children, if the young girls would feel comfortable, and if he could love the children as his own. However, after much time in prayer and the support from his children, Markwayne realized the truth.
“We were Mommy and Daddy from day one and those daughters were our daughters from day one,” Markwayne said.
A Family’s Desire to Empower Foster Youth to Succeed
Connections for Success’ short film is about a family bonded through the mutual love, support and hope they have found and share with each other.
Katie and John mentor three young men, Miguel, Demetrius and Jonathan, in order to give them the opportunity to reach their potential; yet, along their journey, Katie and John learned the boys helped them achieve new potentials of their own.
“My life changed immediately upon meeting the boys. It changed my perspective about love, it changed my perspective about support and constancy and dedication because I realized these boys didn’t have that in their lives,” John said.
In America, nearly 400,000 foster youth are in need of this love, support, constancy and dedication. It is estimated over 100,000 age out of the system and are not adopted. Connections for Success is a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring families to realize their dreams and achieve economic independence by providing hope, resources and a plan.
Foster Care to Success is committed to equipping foster youth to accomplish their postsecondary educational goals by providing funding and support. Jonathan is a FC2S scholar and ETV recipient and Miguel is soon to be an ETV recipient as well, but without the caring adults that mentor and uplift our youth our mission would not be fulfilled.
“[Miguel] had no adults in his life that had graduated from high school, and it’s really hard to succeed when you can’t even envision success, but he has overcome so many obstacles…” Katie said.
There are countless stories similar to Katie and John, and you could be one of them. Become a FC2S mentor and join our efforts to provide students with the encouragement and guidance they need to do well academically and personally.
2015 Aim Higher Fellows & FC2S Partners Honored During Summer Celebration
On June 10, 2015, Foster Care to Success (FC2S) gathered with numerous supporters, partners and friends in the heart of Washington D.C. to recognize our 2015 Aim Higher Fellows.
The 2015 Aim Higher Fellows Class included eight FC2S Scholarship students.
Each of the 27 students honored during the reception represented the promise and potential in the 3,000 students across the country who received FC2S funding and support this year. The 2015 class of fellows represented 15 states and this year’s group included eight FC2S Scholarship students.
