New York City’s College Choice Program provides housing, tutoring, mentorship, and financial aid to college students with foster care experience so that they can focus primarily on their studies. On top of New York’s statewide scholarship, the city also pays for students’ housing and provides them with a $60 per day stipend for living expenses. Sanji Afruz, a participant of the program who earned her bachelor’s and master’s degree, plans to pay it forward by helping youth in foster care succeed in college just like she did. “Someone gave me something and it’s not for me to keep. It’s for me to water, to make it bigger. Maybe one day I will start fruiting and everyone else can enjoy the fruits from it. So, it’s not just for me” says Afruz.



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In this video news segment, viewers are introduced to a new program that “brings the magic of summer camp” to children experiencing foster care in Vermont. Thanks to a joint effort from Vermont’s Department for Children and Families and YWCA Vermont Camp Hochelaga, barriers to summer camp for children in foster care are removed across the state by helping families register for camp, pay tuition, and more. Chelsea Irys Rendlen, the Camp Executive Director, believes that summer camp spaces can be healing and bring a sense of community and home while helping build resilience.

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Blanket Fairy Mission Inc., a nonprofit organization in West Haven, CT, was founded by Sue Yamaguchi in 2008. Motivated by her husband and his siblings’ experiences in foster care as children, Yamaguchi started Blanket Fairy Mission to give blankets and quilts to youth in foster care. Over 16 years, Blanket Fairy Mission Inc. has donated over 16,000 blankets and quilts. Some of the quilts even include personalized messages of inclusion sewn into them, such as “all are welcome here.” Through her efforts, Yamaguchi positively impacts the lives of children in foster care by bringing them a sense of comfort and belonging.

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This fall, 27 Philadelphia students with foster care experience visited Kutztown University in Pennsylvania for a guided tour of the campus and a student panel discussion that focused on KU’S PROFS program, a comprehensive campus support program for students who have been in foster care. PROFS provides students with mentorship opportunities, free on-campus housing during summer and winter breaks, stipends, and group activities. The campus visit was organized through the Philadelphia Education Fund’s Fostering College Readiness program, which helps high school students with foster care experience in Philadelphia apply to and succeed in college.

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After Rev. Andrea Gardner successfully collected and donated over 200 suitcases during her parish placement within the Diocese of Pennsylvania, she was contacted by the Philadelphia chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians to collaborate on another luggage drive. As Gardner spent time in foster care as a teenager, she shares similar experiences with many other children and teenagers of carrying one’s belongings in trash bags and frequently moving between houses. In February 2023, this collaborative luggage drive helped to collect over 900 suitcases in total from four hospitals and a social services nonprofit. Gardner wants to encourage Episcopal churches nationwide to do similar drives. “As we walk through our communities, pay attention to the needs of your community and find a way to help,” said Gardner.

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The LifeSet program provides intensive transition services for young people ages 17-23 who are leaving the foster care system. Turning Points for Children in Philadelphia, PA has served nearly 600 clients through the program since 2017. In these “LifeSet Stories”, readers meet two participants who highlight the program’s benefits: Andreia graduated from high school with the program’s support and then took a job working with Turning Points for Children; Laniyah received support in the college application process and is currently a second-year nursing student. Laniyah and her LifeSet specialist Ivy were interviewed on CBS News Philadelphia in early 2023. Click here to watch the video.



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Jay Lee, a 23-year-old college student at Atlanta Technical College, is pursuing degrees in design and media. Despite facing housing insecurity and aging out of foster care, Lee remains determined to excel in his studies and pursue a career in photography. To support his education, Lee uses community resources, such as scholarships, grants, school food pantries, and rent vouchers. Lee is supported by Covenant House Georgia, a youth shelter that provides essential resources and assistance to youth experiencing housing insecurity in the Atlanta area. Through collaborative partnerships with colleges, Covenant House Georgia ensures that students like Jay Lee receive the support they need to thrive in their educational endeavors. 

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