Fostering Youth Independence Celebrates 8th Year of Supporting Local Foster Youth
Fostering Youth Independence Celebrates 8th Year of Supporting Local Foster Youth
FYI Youth Share Their “GR8FULNESS” Stories
Training to Become a Volunteer Foster Ally to be Held March 11
SANTA CLARITA (March 6, 2025) – This week local nonprofit Fostering Youth Independence (FYI) is celebrating its eighth year with the theme of “GR8TFULNESS,” acknowledging the many volunteers, donors, and community partners who have supported the organization since its founding in 2017.
“With the help of so many, we have served 194 youth who were aging out of the foster care system without the love, support and guidance of a family,” said Carolyn Olsen, FYI’s executive director and co-founder. “Each of these youth was given a caring adult volunteer “Ally” to provide the moral support and encouragement they needed to succeed. We have seen amazing, life-changing relationships develop and witnessed youth reaching milestones they never thought possible.”
On March 11 a training session will be held for anyone interested in learning more about what being an FYI Ally entails. The training will take place in the Fellowship Center at Christ Lutheran Church in Valencia from 6-8 pm. Those interested can email FYI’s Volunteer Coordinator Darlene Allen at dallen@fyifosteryouth.org.
Volunteer Allies have the unique opportunity to directly impact the lives of Santa Clarita’s transition age foster youth (ages 16 to 25) by providing encouragement and support as they complete a post-secondary education, a key to breaking the cycle of challenges faced by these youth.
“When we told our youth about our birthday theme, many of them sent us messages sharing their gratitude for FYI,” said Olsen. Here are just a few of the messages received:
“I am grateful for FYI because they believed in me and my dreams when everyone else made my dreams sound impossible! FYI makes me feel like I have a 2nd family and like I am a part of something! I am forever grateful for FYI.” ~ S.A.
“I can’t even put into words how grateful I am for FYI. FYI has helped put me on a path I didn’t think was possible at this age. I’ve grown so much more with the guidance and opportunities FYI has offered me. I can only go up from here with you guys.” ~ R.V.
“Today as I started my way into my new career in the hospital, I got emotional. I would never have thought I’d be where I am today, and this is only by the help of FYI. I am sincerely grateful for the support and resources FYI has given me. Thank you for helping me see these new beginnings!!” ~ C.C.
“FYI has been the single most impactful and caring community I’ve ever been a part of. FYI is family to both me and my son. I have formed multiple meaningful bonds with the other youth and with many of the caring adults. I’ve received support to make my house a home and my son a happy, healthy, smart kid. FYI has guided me to achieve so many goals and made my dreams feel so real and attainable because of everyone’s unwavering support. There’s a certain confidence that a person with a strong family emits, and for me, FYI is that strong family, and I now have that certain confidence. It’s a community I feel like every foster youth deserves to experience, and I hope to one day repay all of the people who partake in our well-being and futures.” ~ C.S.
“I am grateful for FYI because they have helped my siblings and me become more independent. FYI helped me get back into school to jump start my academic journey. The people I’ve met, especially my Ally from FYI, are great inspirations for what I want to be when I get older. Thanks to FYI, I have a family I can rely on to help my siblings and me become great examples for others like us.” ~ L.H.
“I truly love FYI so much. They help people like me to get into college, and they just guide us through this difficult time. And, it’s amazing because they’ll even guide us and get rid of this financial burden a little bit by telling us that there’s grants for us, for people like me. They show us how to do FAFSA; they show us what we need to do because the application process is a bit different for us. They give you food if you need it; they give you clothes if you need it, even housing if you need it. They will guide you, and I just think that is one of the most amazing things in this world that just shows myself and others that the world can be a good place. And, they have these whole get-togethers with a big community of us showing us that we’re not alone. They just motivate us and are there for us emotionally, physically, mentally, in all ways, and it’s just so beautiful. I very much love this program.” ~ A.P.
Olsen concluded, “It has been a privilege to serve so many youth who have trusted us to help them on their journeys to a better future.”
Further information about Fostering Youth Independence and how to support this organization can be found on www.fyifosteryouth.org.
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About Fostering Youth Independence (FYI)
FYI is the largest Santa Clarita-based nonprofit supporting local foster youth who have aged out of the L.A. County foster care system without being adopted or reunified with their birth parents. FYI addresses the serious challenges faced by these youth, which include not finishing high school or pursuing higher education, homelessness, and incarceration. FYI offers local foster youth numerous resources to help overcome past traumas, complete an education, gain employment, and become successful, independent adults.
FYI currently serves 85 transition age (16-25 years) foster youth in the Santa Clarita Valley and has supported 194 local youth since its inception in 2017. It assigns each youth a caring adult volunteer Ally and a coordinator to help them set and achieve goals in areas such as education, employment, housing, finances, health, transportation, assistance with college applications, enrollment and class registration, and referrals to resources for food, housing, health, mental health, and employment. It also provides emergency financial assistance when an unexpected expense such as a car repair threatens to derail a youth’s educational plans. FYI offers The Study Place for learning support and tutoring, a Ready, Set Drive! program to assist youth in obtaining their drivers license, personalized Money Matters financial literacy education, hosts events throughout the year where the youth can connect with other youth and Allies to create a community of support, and partners with College of the Canyons for referrals and counseling. It also provides school supplies, holiday gifts and household items for youth moving into new homes with few possessions.
Website: www.fyifosteryouth.org
Instagram: @fyifosteryouth
Facebook: www.facebook.com/fyifosteryouth
Contact:
Carolyn Olsen
Co-founder and Executive Director
colsen@fyifosteryouth.org
(661) 360-1500 ext. 700