With seniors around the country celebrating their high school graduation, I wanted to share a statistic with you: just 50% of foster youth will graduate high school. 

I don’t know about you, but this statistic made me pause. It is a sobering reality and speaks to the lack of support foster youth often receive in their young lives. 

Foster youth are no less capable, resilient, or driven than their peers.  

However, foster youth face a unique set of circumstances that can make their academic journey more challenging. From unstable housing and a lack of supportive relationships to the weight of past traumas, these youth confront obstacles that their peers do not always encounter. Through no fault of their own, focusing on school may not be a high priority as they contend with these other obstacles. 

This is why I am thrilled to announce that 100% of the seniors in our Transitional Living program graduated high school! This is an incredible achievement and a testament to the resiliency and hard work of our youth.  

It is also a testament to the impact our supporters have on our youth.  

Because of the support we receive from our donors, partners, volunteers, and more, our youth have the chance to heal from their past traumas. In our Transitional Living program, they have the time and space to focus on their education, hobbies, friendships, and personal growth. 

We could not be more proud of what our youth have accomplished!  They’ve overcome so much adversity and worked so hard to get to this point.

We truly believe in their limitless potential.  

Whatever each youth chooses to do next, we know that they have a bright future ahead of them. They have proven that they can accomplish whatever they set their minds to.

Thank you for all of your support – and congratulations to the class of ’23!