“Thank you so much for the Back-to-School Package. It brought tears to my eyes to know that there are still caring individuals in the world.”

“I felt like a little girl opening her presents on Christmas Eve. Thank you for bringing me hope. I will not let you down.”

“Thank you so much for the gift package. I will make the best use of everything…especially the alarm clock!”

Special thanks to all of the supporters of the Back-to-School Package program!

Freshman, John Jay College

An aspiring lawyer, Milton plans to major in Criminal Justice. As a child growing up in Brooklyn, he was fascinated by legal shows on television and began to read law books with the help of an older cousin. His interest in law and politics later led him to become involved in his high school’s Model UN and debate teams. In addition, Milton volunteered during the general presidential election to help get out the vote.

Milton plans to take full advantage of every academic opportunity in order to pursue his dream of becoming a lawyer. He has already begun laying the groundwork for success by interning at a law office and serving as a youth advocate at his foster care agency. His ability to speak on behalf of his fellow youth in foster care will serve him well on his path to a legal career, and NYFC is excited to be a part of his journey.

Katherine V.

Freshman, John Jay College

Katherine entered foster care at the age of three with her younger brother. When her personal circumstances seemed overwhelming, school remained the one constant in Katherine’s life. She always enjoyed learning and took comfort in the stability that school provided. Katherine is thrilled to be the first member of her family to attend college and hopes that her brother will follow in her footsteps.

Katherine will be majoring in psychology, which she hopes will enable her to pursue her dream of working with youth in foster care some day. Katherine is also active in her local community and currently serves on the Youth Council of her foster care agency. Katherine is a bright, outgoing young woman and will be a wonderful addition to the NYFC Guardian Scholars Program.

The 75 youth who attended the event began the day with workshops delivered by FEGS, a grantee of NYFC, on resume writing, interviewing skills, goal setting, and how to conduct a job search.  After lunch, which was made by the FedCap culinary program, the youth met with representatives from organizations such as: the New York City Fire Department, US Postal Service, a PC Repair group, a culinary program, the FEGS internship program, the Year Up Program, a dog training group, Barber, a construction training program, and many more. This enabled the youth to learn about different avenues of employment they may not have been exposed to before.

The Vocational Conference was a great success and we are looking forward to hosting it again next year!

New Yorkers For Children allocated over $800,000 in funding for programs that serve older youth in foster care through education, mental health services, life skills, and employment training.

Click here to see our 2009 grantees

Catholic Guardian Society and Home Bureau is helping youth in foster care in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Staten Island achieve their high school diploma or GED through individualized counseling, tutoring, and mentoring.

The Children’s Aid Society, one of our 2008 grantees, is connecting teens with practical work experiences that will help to prepare them for adulthood through the Next Generation Center’s Employment Training Program.

FedCap is working to connect youth in foster care with supportive adults to assist them as they transition out of care. The Transitions: Building Relationships and Resources program provides assessments, individualized employment coaching, job training, and job placement.

FEGS supports youth in foster care through the Academy program, which provides young people with comprehensive career education services in order to prepare them for independent adulthood.

The Goddard-Riverside Community Center offers two-part workshops to youth in foster care on college admissions and financial aid through the OPTIONS Center for Educational and Career Choice. OPTIONS provides youth with one-on-one counseling.

Good Shepherd Services, also a 2008 grantee, is hiring a Sanctuary Implementation Coordinator to fully implement the Sanctuary Model throughout the foster boarding home program.

Highbridge Community Life Center is working to reduce abuse and neglect and foster care placement in the Highbridge community of the South Bronx through Bridge Builders, a donors’ and community collaborative with Children’s Services.

The Jewish Child Care Association (JCCA) is using their funding from NYFC to continue implementing the Sanctuary Model into Family Foster Care Programs, a project they began in 2008 with NYFC’s support.

The New York Center For Children, another of our 2008 grantees, is implementing, developing, and expanding a group therapy program to help adolescents make the successful transition from foster care to healthy and productive adulthood.

New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, also a 2008 grantee, is hiring a full-time Master’s level clinician who provides therapeutic services to older youth in foster care to help them transition into adulthood.

The Osborne Association, another of our 2008 grantees, aims to improve permanency for youth in foster care who have an incarcerated parent through the Permanency Enhancement Project.

Safe Space is building on the success of their Far Rockaway Drop in Center (FRDIC), supported by New Yorkers For Children in 2008. They are working to adapt a 12-week curriculum to work with youth in foster care to help them improve their relationships with their current foster parents.

Staten Island Mental Health Society has created the Fostering Transition to Independence program, which delivers an evidence-based model called Transition to Independence (TIP) to youth in foster care who are abusing drugs and alcohol, or who have been impacted by alcohol and drug use in their families of origin.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, NYFC continues to have a tremendous impact on the lives of children in foster care in New York City. Given the difficult economic climate, your support of these youth is more crucial that ever. Please click the button below to provide young people in care with the opportunities that are fundamental to their success at a time when they need it the most.

Freshman, John Jay College

Katherine V.

Freshman, John Jay College

Meet them here!

Dayssi Olarte De Kanavos

EVENT CHAIRS

Allison Aston  ∙  Marisa Brown  ∙  Lydia Fenet  ∙  Rory Hermelee 

Susan Shin  ∙  Shirin Von Wulffen

CO-CHAIRS

Melissa Beste  ∙  Alina Cho  ∙  Natalia Gottret Echavarria  ∙  Clare McKeon

 request the pleasure of your company

for

NEW YEAR’S IN APRIL: A FOOL’S FÊTE

 Thursday, April 8, 2010

7:30 PM

The Ballroom

Mandarin Oriental, New York

The Time Warner Center

Black Tie

 Presented By

A-K-R-I-S-

 To purchase tickets or a table, please contact Jennifer Houston at 212.867.1117 or jhouston@innovativephilanthropy.net.

A Fool’s Fête 2010 Invitation (pdf)

A Fool’s Fête 2010 Response Form (pdf)

• A Fool’s Fête 2009
• A Fool’s Fête 2008
• A Fool’s Fête 2007
• A Fool’s Fête 2006

To buy tickets or a table, please contact Jennifer Houston at 212.867.1117 or jhouston@innovativephilanthropy.net.

A Fool’s Fête 2010 Invitation (pdf)

A Fool’s Fête 2010 Response Form (pdf)