We’re excited to share that we are starting a new fund for our independent living youth. We have learned over many years of working with them that they truly do not get to experience all life has to offer as many of us do! When we do have the opportunity to take them out of their element to a new place that is when they really start to DREAM BIG!
Many only start to believe when they can SEE what they are capable of doing.
From this the Expanding Horizons Fund was born! This will impact kids who are leaders within the program or have shown great progress! We believe that we can influence lives and outcomes for youth “aging out” of foster care by showing them something different. It sounds almost too simplistic. We believe that showing youth different aspects of life that are foreign to them will give them options and goals to push forward to. Over the years, several foster youth have taken trips, outings and attended activities that blew their minds. These trips opened up doors to dream about their futures and to see themselves doing activities, vacations and living like they have never dreamed before.
How can you help? Our first activity will be a Red River Gorge Camping trip for 10 young men in the program. Last time CHOICES tried to tent camp the tents disintegrated in the rain (yes, they were that old). We are looking to purchase new camping gear that will benefit our kids for years to come!
To make it easy we have made a wish list with REI of the items needed for our trip. We are grateful to REI who really helped us with the pricing too! You can easily browse our wish list and purchase items to be sent to our office here by clicking here.
You can also easily donate online to the Expanding Horizons fund by clicking here. This will help us purchase any unfulfilled items for the trip OR help with the activity the young ladies have chosen. (Cincinnati Bengals game in the fall – more on that later)
Below is more info on the Red River Gorge Trip and the impact it will have on our kids:
Of the 10 youth identified, none of them has ever hiked, tent camped, canoed or rock climbed. These are all adventures that are options for our youth this August. These are all new experiences that will open the eyes of 10 young men to the beauty of the outside world, wildlife, exercise options, healthy living and new recreational fun. During the trip, we will utilize this time to work on team building skills, interpersonal communication and healthy relationships. It is our desire at CHOICES to grow our youth at every interaction with them. We want to help navigate our young people through the pitfalls that await every young person that is aging out of foster care: homelessness, poverty, jail, drug addiction, prostitution, human trafficking and alcoholism.
Let’s expand their horizons and help our kids dream big!! Whatever you can give will help.
Questions? Contact Ashley Pester at apester@choicesfostercare.com or 937-264-0084 ext. 122.
