From left to right: Bruni Martinez, Serena Muindi, Simon Yee, Terri Dias, Katasha Blade, Becky Basulto, Kimberly Wilcox, Cynthia Southerby, Kelly Rogers, and Steve McGriff.

On Thursday, October 20, 2011, Becky Basulto and friends volunteered their evening educating foster youth (ages 11-24) about possible career options.  For many foster youth, the odds of obtaining a higher education is unlikely.  Statistics show that less than 50% of foster youth will graduate from high school. 

These volunteers set out to encourage youth to stay focused on education and to show them that higher education is the key to a better future.  A panel of volunteers representing a wide range of professions, such as a teacher, construction manager, nurse, banker, financial profession, etc., all gave the youth personal insights about their job.  They shared the types of tasks they perform on a daily basis, their annual salary, what they like and don't like about their job, the education that is needed for their field and the specific skill set that is needed for the job.

Serena, a financial professional, talked about her challenges growing up in a low-income family.  As a teenager she sold fruit at the Berryessa Flea Market and helped her mother manage her finances by creating a monthly budget.  As a result she discovered her passion for numbers.  She became a young mother, but never gave up on her education.  Although it was difficult for her to balance motherhood, work and school, over time she eventually obtained her Bachelors in Accounting and a Masters in Finance.  Today, she is thriving as a Director of Purchasing at a local community college and also owns her own private financial consulting business.  Her salary gives her a very comfortable lifestyle, but she emphasized to the youth that "You have to love what you do. It's not about the money."

SAP Volunteers Roll-Up Their Sleeves to

Beautify Foster Homes

On Friday, October 28, 2011, thirty-five local SAP employees and friends dedicated their day to beautify three of Unity Care's foster homes in San Jose, CA.  Each of the residential homes provides a safe, secure, positive group-home living environment and an array of supportive counseling and  services for youth ages 11 to 18, who come from backgrounds of neglect, abuse and abandonment. 

Mark Yolton, Senior Vice President of SAP Marketing and Unity Care Board Member led the volunteer effort for SAP, said, "It's important to SAP as a global company with significant presence in Silicon Valley, and to every one of the individual volunteers, to give back to our local community.  No one was compelled to spend the day painting and cleaning; everyone leapt at the chance to contribute back through their efforts."

Project Serve Volunteers Clean a Home to

Provide Shelter for Homeless Former Foster Youth

On Sunday, November 6, 2011, over 15 volunteers from Project Serve cleaned a vacant 5-bedroom home.  Volunteers spent several hours cleaning the entire house by removing old carpets, cleaning windows and bathrooms, washing dishes and sweeping and mopping the floors. 

Project Serve is an annual community service day initiative spearheaded by Youth Ministries of Saratoga Federated Church in conjunction with the Local Outreach Ministry.  Carl Agers, team lead, church elder and Chairman of the Board at Unity Care said, "Serving others is at the very core of Christian faith, and at Saratoga Federated Church, one of our primary missions is to equip each member with opportunities to serve our brothers and sisters in need.  Cleaning a house that will shelter homeless former foster youth is just one way we practice our faith in Jesus' name."

Summer of Learning Activity Highlights!

What Do You Think About the New Prison Realignment Plan?

I heard it on the news: "In order to make a decent wage, I have to do indecent things." I pondered on the reason why one would make such a statement...(excerpt from Andre's Blog).

Read Andre's most recent blog and share your thoughts about the new prison realignment plan.

http://blog.unitycare.org/

Special Thanks to our Partners

Cake4Kids

Haven Church

Robin Hood Ministries

SAP

Saratoga Federated Church

Second Harvest Food Bank

Sleep Train Mattress Centers

Stuffed Animals for Emergencies

Twin Oaks Church

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