September 2020 Newsletter
A Message from Debbie & Donna,

As we go into our 6th month of working remotely, we have found ways to continue to make our students our highest priority and to stay connected as a team. We miss seeing all of our volunteers and supporters, and look forward to the day we can be together again. Please know how often we think of you and how much you mean to us. Thank you for joining us on our journey and for all that you do!
COLLEGE GRADUATES
Students graduate from college all the time, so why is it such a big deal when a Best Foot Forward student graduates? The reason is that it is an extremely rare occurrence for students with a foster care background. In fact, only 3% of former foster youth will graduate college.

Over the past 10 years, we have not only come to understand the reason behind the low percentage, but more importantly, we have developed a program that addresses the pressing issues and produces solutions. We are incredibly proud of our graduates for overcoming the barriers and trusting us with their futures!
GET SMART, GET SAFE Packages Delivered
We may have had to cancel our back to school parties this year, but that didn't stop us from making sure our students were prepared for the new school year. We were determined to give them everything they need to be successful.

We wanted them to have personal spaces in their homes that were conducive to virtual learning. That meant creating a learning environment that would allow them to focus, lessen distractions, and feel like they are "in school".

That was a good start, but we knew they needed more in this very unusual time. Whether learning virtually or in person, our students need all of the usual school supplies, in addition to COVID-19 supplies, snacks, relaxation tools, and food. We decided to prepare packages for every student with all of those things included, and our coaches drove all over the county to personally deliver them. You can come along via our video recap!

The needs of our students are great, and our response was swift, thanks to all of your support. We would like to thank everyone who donated to the COVID-19 and Get Smart, Get Safe campaigns, making it all possible.

Your support is still needed as new students are referred to our program all the time. Click here for more information on supporting our campaign.
DONORS MAKING A DIFFERENCE
EXTRACURRICULAR PROJECTS
We would like to thank GL Homes for sponsoring an event at Mounts Botanical Garden to provide our students with an opportunity to learn a life skill that will serve them for their lifetime. They received a tour of the grounds, followed by a demonstration on how to grow their own fresh produce from kitchen scraps. Our students loved it! The presentation was filmed so all of our students can learn how to grow a garden!
Click here to see the story as covered by WPTV!
We provide art programs regularly for our students, but due to COVID-19, this year was a challenge. Fortunately, volunteer and extraordinary artist Lynn Stender offered to do a Zoom project with our students. Lynn led our students through how to make Creative Collages. Each student received a package in advance with all the supplies they needed. We continue to provide innovative programs for our students and refuse to let COVID-19 slow us down!
FUNDING NEWS
We have been very fortunate to receive funding from AT&T through its philanthropic initiative, AT&T Aspire, over the past six years, in collaboration with ChildNet. This initiative has allowed us to expand our programs and serve more students than we ever thought possible. It also enabled our students to have cell phones so we could communicate with them throughout the week, further strengthening our impact.

While this funding cycle may have ended, we will continue to provide cell phones and service to our students, as it has become an integral and critical part of our program.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Save the date
for our virtual event on
Thursday, November 18th
11:30-1:00

Our students will share their stories and how Best Foot Forward has made an impact on their lives.

Stay tuned for more information on how you can be a part of this special event!
In light of the current pandemic situation, we have made the difficult decision to cancel our October 23rd BASH event. Next year's BASH will be held on March 13, 2021.
Please SAVE the DATE!