Julie Hays, grant committee member of the Marlene and Spencer Hays Foundation, has a passion for helping children experiencing foster care because of her personal fostering story. The Foundation is a supporter of Youth Villages and specifically LifeSet, for its critical services to children exiting the foster care system and transitioning into adulthood.
The Tennessee Titans surprised one of our youth, a 17-year-old named Max, and his adoptive dad, Kevin, with a trip of a lifetime to Super Bowl LVII.
The state of foster care in Tennessee is in crisis. More children than ever need temporary, safe homes compared to the amount of open foster homes. Nationwide, a child is placed into foster care every two minutes, so the need is great. In Tennessee, more than 8,000 kids are in the foster care system with only around 4,000 certified foster homes available.
Recently, young people with lived experience in child welfare systems joined 28 child welfare administrators from across the country at the first Achieving Success Convening, “Empowering Transition-Age Young Adults,” held in Las Vegas.
The transition from childhood to adulthood can be a lot to handle alone, but it’s very much a reality for people in the foster care system. Around 20,000 age out of the system every year,
Lawmakers recently passed legislation making extended foster care available to more youth in Tennessee. This means that more young adults who ‘age out’ of the foster care system, usually at the age of 18, are now eligible for an extension of foster care services until they turn 21.
Plans can change in a variety of ways. That was the case for Amy Abbott. Amy was looking for an opportunity to give back to the community, and she found that in fostering.
Several years ago, Mia Flowers felt moved to research fostering kids, but it wasn’t until she was reading the Bible with her husband, Ben, that the idea solidified for them both.
Andreia had a rough start. Her mother had a substance abuse problem and went to jail, sending Andreia and her older siblings to kinship care. One after another her siblings left home.
Moving to a college can be an exciting yet anxious experience for many young people. For those aging out of foster care, applying to and even getting enrolled in a college can be a monumental task. That’s where LifeSet comes in.