Youth in Care Find Voice with the Help of Local Partners

November 19, 2020

The Selfless Love Foundation, an organization dedicated to finding permanency for children in foster care, this week awarded a $1,000 grant to Communities Connected for Kids to help establish a local youth council.

The council will follow the model established by the foundation's One Voice Impact, a program that helps young people in foster care advocate for issues important to them.

CCKids' Road to Success staff is now working to identify young people, ages 16 and older, who are willing to participate.

"Our department is passionate about youth advocacy and empowerment, and this grant adds another layer to what we want to offer," said Margie Dotson, RTS specialist.

Road to Success, which prepares teens and young adults for life after foster care, also received news today that its longtime partnership grant through the Kathryn A. Basile Foster a Dream Foundation was renewed for another year.

The $10,000 grant provides funding for high-school graduation and college-related expenses, as well as campus tours and advocacy trips to Tallahassee.

"We are responsible for advocating on both a local and state level for youth currently and previously in the system of care," Ms. Dotson said. "We will continue to cultivate the leaders of tomorrow through these combined partnerships."