Fostering Youth Independence Hosts First-Ever Community Open House
Opportunity to learn how becoming an Ally supports local foster youth
Board members, Allies and youth will be on hand to share FYI’s impact
SANTA CLARITA (April 3, 2026) – A first-of-its-kind open house will be hosted by Fostering Youth Independence this month, giving the Santa Clarita community a chance to learn more about how FYI supports local foster youth who are aging out of foster care system, equipping them to become successful, independent adults.
The open house will be held on Saturday, April 25 from 10 am to 12 pm in the Fellowship Center at Christ Lutheran Church in Valencia. On hand will be FYI board members, volunteers, staff, and foster youth, who will be there to share the organization’s impact. In addition, there will be two short presentations by FYI’s co-founders, at 10:30 am and 11:30 am. Coffee and refreshments will be served.
“Our open house will enable interested community members to meet our team, hear about how our work supports local foster youth, and learn how they can make a difference by becoming involved, especially as an Ally,” said Carolyn Olsen, FYI’s executive director and co-founder.
Allies are caring adult volunteers who have a unique opportunity to directly impact the lives of Santa Clarita’s transition-age foster youth (age 16-25). Allies encourage youth and cheer them on as they work to obtain a college degree or trade certificate, an important key to breaking the cycle of challenges that foster youth face.
“The upcoming summer season is when we see the number of youth we serve increase, and therefore we’re in need of additional Allies – both men and women – to offer the care and encouragement these youth may not have had as they’ve traveled through foster care,” continued Olsen. “Becoming an Ally is an important way to make a real difference in the lives of these vulnerable youth. Beyond providing our youth with numerous services to help them on their path to completing an education and gaining employment, we connect each of our youth with an Ally who becomes an important adult figure, and source of inspiration and support, in their lives.”
Allies support their youth in numerous ways. This can be with calls and texts to check in on them, getting together with them for coffee or meals, helping them with errands, taking them on outings, and generally being a sounding board for their questions or issues.
The next Ally training session will be held May 5 at Christ Lutheran Church at 6 pm. Those interested in attending can email Darlene Allen at dallen@fyifosteryouth.org. Christ Lutheran Church is located at 25816 Tournament Road in Valencia.
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 214 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.
FYI is recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. FYI’s federal tax ID number is 82-1034101.
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