Congratulations 2015 Learn & Earn Graduates!
On Tuesday, December 15, youth, mentors, and supporters gathered in our office to celebrate Silver Lining Mentoring's most recent group of Learn & Earn graduates. Learn & Earn is a twelve-month matched savings program for young people sixteen and older who are preparing to age out of the foster care system.  P articipants gain knowledge in many areas including money management, housing and employment. 

Colby Swettberg, CEO of Silver Lining Mentoring made the following remarks at graduation, "Young people aging out of foster care tell us what they need, and we offer them opportunities to learn in a supportive community with one another and in connection with mentors.  Young people graduating today completed 1,440 hours of learning and earned $13,580!"

What We're Reading This Month

At Silver Lining Mentoring, one of our values is cultural responsiveness. We believe that diversity strengthens communities and we are committed to listening and responding to all voices to promote respect, compassion, and social change.  Each month, one of our Staff Members shares a resource about cultural responsiveness and our entire Staff meets together to discuss. We look forward to sharing our cultural responsiveness pieces with you in the months ahead. 

This month, we read "The Bail Trap," an article about the criminal justice system in New York City.  The article shares, "'The real work is asking why we're arresting so
many people on low-level offenses in the first place, and why so many of them
come from poor black and brown communities."  At Silver Lining Mentoring, 75% of our young people identify as persons of color and we are dedicated to advocating for them by sharing the issues that affect them as they navigate the world. 

Supporter Spotlight: McDermott Will & Emery
Silver Lining Mentoring's CEO Colby Swettberg and Board Member Monica Neuman (both seated center) with employees who attended the annual Women of McDermott Holiday Service Event.

Thank you to Silver Lining Mentoring Board Member, Monica Neuman, and her colleagues at  McDermott Will & Emery  for hosting their annual Women of McDermott Holiday Community Service Event in support of Silver Lining Mentoring!   
The event was hosted on Giving Tuesday and raised over $1600 in monetary donations. In addition, the generous women at McDermott Will & Emery collected dozens of winter items including gloves, scarves, hats, socks and hand warmers to keep our young people warm this winter.



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