Aidan is a student at North Carolina State University with a clear vision for his future. He’s balancing school, work and preparing for life after graduation. On the surface, it’s a typical college experience. But Aidan’s path to this point has been anything but typical.

Aaraya is a proud social worker and graduate of Western Carolina University. However, as a youth who experienced foster care, Aaraya’s journey was anything but easy. She endured hardships and struggles faced by many young people navigating the child welfare system.

Thousands of children experience out-of-home placements in North Carolina, and sometimes, finding a forever home isn’t an option before they age out of the system. Programs like LifeSet help young adults who experience foster care establish independence.

The Youth Villages Intercept Program here in Greenville impacts at-risk youth in our community and across the state. The idea of “Intercept” is to reach kids who are at risk of being placed outside of the home, coming home from a foster care placement or mental health hospital and keeping them with their families in a healthy, successful living space.

Meet Ruby, a student at a local community college in Wilmington, North Carolina. She recently took a trip to Mexico to spend time with family, and she has plans to complete her bachelor’s degree in architecture at University of North Carolina-Charlotte after graduation.

John Parker and Steve Rook with the Parker-Rook Group at Merrill share how their investment makes a difference

Meet Thomas (he/him/his), a 19-year-old coastal North Carolina native who is now crushing his goals thanks to the LifeSet program.

At the beginning of their journey with Youth Villages, Donna felt she had reached the very end of the road and didn’t know what else to do. “I was on I-85 and thinking to myself, I could end it all right now,” Donna said.

“It’s a life changing experience and it gives you a whole different concept about yourself.” These are the words of Jeremy, a LifeSet participant who felt all odds were against him growing up and into adulthood.

North Carolina held its first-ever Growing Stronger Summit, a two-day event featuring keynote speaker David Ambroz, author and national child welfare and poverty expert.