These grants are focused on a population which is often lost to society as a constructive resource. Thousands of children are unable to live at home for a host of reasons, many because of a lack of family and/or community support. Many are very able, intellectually competent teens who have little chance, without our help, of successfully completing higher education.

We currently work with two foster care centers to identify those students who possess the strength of character and the intellectual tools to go on and break the cycle of poverty, drugs and despair. In partnership with forward-looking foster care centers we can fund enrichment programs consisting of money, employee commitment and mentors whom we recruit and who are supervised by the volunteer department of the foster care center. We strongly believe that mentors are essential to the opportunity we are trying to create. The most telling remark we have heard from students is”… it’s the time, not just the money…”

Students from The Childrens’ Village, a large well-respected residential treatment center in Westchester County, were the first to receive grants. Jeremy Kohomban, President of The Childrens’ Village, began working with OF HOME, FAMILY AND FUTURE in late 2005 in order to identify qualified students at that facility and to develop the program to administer and support the grants and the mentors. Typically, some type of financial assistance is provided by the government to these students. Unfortunately, that help is not enough to enable an effective adjustment to the challenges of living in a dormitory with other students who come from much more advantaged and emotionally supportive environments.

In 2007, we expanded this program to include Abbott House, another residential treatment center and in 2008 we were happy to establish a relationship with Good Shepherd Services in NYC.  Good Shepherd Services is a youth development, education and family service agency that works with teens both in residence and in foster care.   With the ongoing support of the three organizations, mentors have been recruited who can help the students make the transition to college. Additionally, we are proud to report that Hedge Funds Care, a non-profit organization committed to protecting children from abuse and neglect, has made donations to help support these grants over the past several years.

These grants mean that these promising students can go to school with a computer, “the right clothes”, money for transportation home and, maybe, some spending money. Our experience convinces us that both mentoring and additional funds are essential in dramatically increasing the chances of a successful educational experience. Many of the students from foster care end up dropping out or getting thrown out of college early in their experience because they just didn’t fit in and didn’t feel comfortable in their environment, not because they couldn’t do the work.

With the right support, we believe these special teens can become successful in college and can open doors to bright, productive futures.