Dear Fostering Connections St. Johns Supporters,
Fall is here! I hope you and your family have a festive month with pumpkins, family activities, and fall treats. This year has been different from other years, but it still is a great time of growth and transitions.
Fostering Connections St. Johns had a very busy September! The Career Readiness Academy was featured on Regions Bank's Doing More Today website. We worked with Regions Bank as part of our Career Readiness Academy program. Alicia Somers, Financial Wellness Manager, presented a workshop on Basic Banking for Students. Read the full article at the link below:
Our Career Readiness Academy graduates started their internships. They love their internships and are doing very well! We are so grateful to our local business partners and sponsors for supporting and mentoring our student interns. Students had their first soft skills class on interpersonal communication skills. Career Readiness Academy students learned the 5 Keys of Interpersonal Communication Skills. This month, Fostering Connections St. Johns board member Andy Evener of The Bailey Group will be doing a presentation on financial planning for students. Learn more about the Career Readiness Academy here and donate here
We continue to grow our programs to support teens and young adults in foster care. In September, we had our first Teen Arts Class. In October, we will have a hybrid class, with students attending in-person and online. Thank you to The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida for supporting this program!
Fostering Connections St. Johns is working with the St. Johns Family Integrity Program to develop independent living skills workshops for Extended Foster Care youth. Stay tuned for more details later this fall! In September, we were able to get a car donated to an Extended Foster Care youth! There is a huge need in St. Johns County for Extended Foster Care Families. Learn more about ways to support Extended Foster Care youth in this month's attached newsletter.
There are currently 197 children in St. Johns County in foster care. The need for care packages continues to increase. There are many opportunities to give support to our care package program. Learn more in our newsletter.
For our younger children in foster care, we are distributing monthly art kits for children to do art at home until we are able to resume art class. Learn more about how you can give an art kit to a child in foster care in our newsletter.
I invite you to invest in our youth in foster care. Teach a soft skills class, host a student intern, sponsor a student intern, donate an art kit or care package items. When the community invests in foster youth, we all thrive. There is something everyone can do to support children and youth in foster care.
Kind Regards,
Aubrie Simpson-Gotham
Founder & President, Fostering Connections St. Johns