March/April 2016
Dear Friends,
 
The needs of young people aging out of foster care are tremendous.  Housing, education, employment and mental health are just a few of the many areas which make up a complicated and inter-dependent web of needed support for these young people.  
 
It is tempting to try to be everything to these young people who have been let down so many times in their lives.  At The Hope Center we are probably more aware of this temptation than anyone else. And yet what we've learned is that sometimes the best way to be everything for these young people is to NOT be everything.   
 
We've learned that if we partner with other agencies and individuals in our community who are doing amazing work in a specialized field such as housing or education that we not only provide our young people with the best possible services but we greatly improve our efficiency and are able to help even more young people.  
 
At The Hope Center we are so proud of the work our partners are doing to support this group of young people. We learn something from them every day.  
 
You can call it collaboration or collective impact or some other trendy phrase, but all that really matters is what one of our young people so clearly articulated, "For the first time I feel supported, like I have a team of people who can answer every question and are helping me move forward."
 
 Warmly,

Stacy Bluth
Executive Director
The Hope Center
GSK IMPACT Grant
On March 10, over 30 young people from Wake, Durham and Orange counties had a unique opportunity to get a behind the scenes tour of PNC Arena and work alongside their culinary team to prepare healthy food.  This is just one of the many examples of "real world" experiences young people aging out of foster care will get as part of the GSK IMPACT Grant. The Hope Center is proud to be working alongside an amazing group of agencies with this grant, including Community Partnerships, Inc., Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, LIFE Skills Foundation, Dress for Success, SaySo (Strong Able Youth Speaking Out) and the United Way of the Greater Triangle. To read more about this opportunity, please click here.
Highlight: Community Partnerships

Our community partners play a vital role in helping our young people access the resources they need to transition to adulthood. This couldn't have more evident than last week when one of our young people was hired at a grocery store 3 miles from her house, but had no transportation to speak of. She was going to walk to and from work, but that meant often walking early in the morning or late at night. NC Cooperative Extension, Wake County Division came to the rescue by donating a bike from their rehab bike program so that this young person could get to her job quickly and safely! We are so grateful to Tex Bennett and NC Cooperative Extension for their partnership and support, along with all of our community partners who are together helping these young people gain the support and independence they deserve.

Innovation Award Recipients

Our Fostering Youth Opportunities Collaborative was honored to accept The Innovation Award from Triangle Community Foundation this year. This award will help us establish a collaborative space where our partner agencies will come together under one roof to create a "one stop shop" for young people with a history in foster care, providing ease of access to a holisic set of services and greater efficiency and effectiveness among our partners. 


Our annual Raising Hope Event is on Sunday, June 5th at 12:30 PM. This event has a whole new look, as we are hosting it at the Merrimon-Wynne House and holding a brunch along with our silent auction, live music, and fabulous food from local chefs. The proceeds from the event go to unmet needs - housing, job training, vocational and educational instruction, physical and mental health resources - that our young people face as they strive to become self-sufficient adults.  To purchase tickets, please click here. Interested in being a sponsor? Please contact Jeanne Lawson at [email protected]. We look forward to seeing you there!
Community Partners:

 Community Partnerships, Inc.

 Dress for Success

EDSI: Tomorrow's Leaders

Families Together

Fostering Bright Futures at Wake Tech

 Independent Living Resources

Inter-Faith Food Shuttle

LIFE Skills Foundation

Methodist Home for Children

NC Cooperative Extension-Wake County

SAFEchild

SaySo

United Way of the Greater Triangle

 Inter-faith Food Shuttle

Wake County Human Services
 
Where To
Find Us

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Donate
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We are always in need of items on our wish list to help our young people as they set up their apartments.  For a complete list, click here.
 
 
Volunteer
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 We are always looking for volunteer mentors and tutors for our young people.  Click here to find out more information about how to get involved.
 
 
Contribute
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Donations of any amount help sustain the work we do with young men and women aging out of foster care.  Click here to find out more!
 
 

| | [email protected] |
1801 Hillsborough Street
Raleigh, NC 27605