Welcome back! I hope that it was a restful, rejuvenating, and revitalizing winter break for all of you! That extra burst of energy will be helpful as winter hits full gear and the semester ramps up. Although it feels like we just got back to work, 2016 is already flying by at breakneck speed! 

 

Here at FSM, the team continues to celebrate the end of 2015 which was a huge year for the work being done to support students with experience in foster care. We saw the expansion of our already large network of partnerships with the addition of two new campus-based support programs, Lansing Community College Fostering Stars Program and Washtenaw Community College REACH Program, as well as new designated campus champions and financial aid champions. In addition to networking with partners at Regional Network Meetings around the state, FSM created many new resources such as our financial aid toolkit, various webinars, and so much more! We look forward to continuing the great work of 2015 in the year ahead!

 

As detailed above in the newsletter and the corresponding WMU press release, the Kresge Foundation has awarded a second major grant to Western Michigan University to continue its successful Fostering Success Michigan statewide effort. In this new three-year award from the Kresge Foundation, FSM will move into Phase II of our work. Our two main goals are focused on the best practices in college access and success for students from foster care and and creating sustainability for the ongoing work of Michigan's collective impact to increase positive outcomes in postsecondary education and careers for students who experience foster care.

 

As Socrates said, "the secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new". We hope you will join the FSM team in focusing our energy on building new partnerships, developing new resources, and continuing to support one another in the work we do in 2016 and beyond!