TeenForce program puts foster teens to work

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) -- Over the summer, we asked you to click the "like" button on our Facebook page to raise money for Bay Area foster children. The ABC7/Sleep Train Dream Campaign raised $30,000 -- $1 for every new "like." Although the campaign is over, we are still trying to raise awareness about the needs of foster children. ABC7 News looks at a program that's putting foster teens to work.

For Rachel Neel, her job is more than a paycheck -- it's the promise of a better life. She grew up in foster care and aged out of the system when she became an adult. She's now 20 and trying to make it on her own.

"Right now I am living in a youth shelter. It is not specifically for emancipated foster youth, it's just from 18 to 22, I believe," said Neel.

Neel and other young adults with foster backgrounds don't have the traditional family support which often helps land that first job. That's where TeenForce comes in. It's a non-profit in Santa Clara County that started two years ago to help teenagers find work. Last year it also started focusing on the needs of foster kids. The non-profit has helped prepare nearly 200 young people to enter the work force and match them with jobs. Michael Nino, 19, is among two dozen who grew up in foster care.

"Now that there are people out there that can help you and stuff like that, it gets better, you can get on your feet, learn to do what you have to do to make it out there in the real world," said Nino.

Founder John Hogan launched TeenForce with help from private sector grant money. It's follows a business model where employers pay going rate, generally minimum wage for the workers and kick in a little extra to help sustain the non-profit.

"We're putting all of these youth to work without relying on any government subsidy. We make it very easy for employers to hire qualified youth and motivated youth," said Hogan.

Goodwill CEO Michael Fox is one of nine employers in Santa Clara County putting foster teens and young adults to work. Neel is a human resource assistant at Goodwill and Nino is in the recycling warehouse.

"It gets them some stability into their life and give them job skills so they can get much better jobs down the road," said Fox.

In Los Gatos, Waleena Griffin, 19, is one of those with a foster background and is an example of why the company says the program makes good business sense.

"We work here with them. That's what I like a lot about this place actually. They trust my skills. They give a word for my skills so I'm grateful for that," said Griffin.

Neel is also grateful. Her job will help her move beyond the youth shelter. She said, "It is a confidence booster to be able to say, 'I am a working woman.'"

TeenForce says there are hundreds of young adults from foster care eager to work. They're not looking for a hand out, they're just hoping for help up.

(Copyright ©2012 KGO-TV/DT.

View the original article here

Nonprofit helps foster kids with extracurricular, emergency expenses

  MARTINEZ, Calif. (KGO) -- ABC7 News is teaming up with Sleep Train to help raise awareness and support for foster children in the Bay Area. For every new "like" on the ABC7 News Facebook page, $1 will go to the Sleep Train Dream Campaign, which buys things like clothes and school supplies for foster children.

A group of teens at Foster A Dream in Martinez have been through tough times that no child should ever have to experience and all of them ended up in foster care. But the have hopes for a better future. The group focuses on foster youth 12-24 years old.

"Things that are probably going to spark that idea, 'I can do better, things could be better, life will be better,'" Foster A Dream Executive Director Kim Castaneda said.

Foster A Dream helps foster kids pay for extracurricular activities like proms, senior portraits and sudden emergency expenses.

One young man needed to make a deposit on his college dorm room, but the money from his student loan had not arrived yet.

"He called us and we sent him the money so he wouldn't lose his dorm," Castaneda said.

Only about half of foster children even graduate from high school and many don't have consistent adult support, so foster a dream tries to match them with trained mentors.

"Sometimes they just need to get certain situations and issues off their chest to someone who can listen, maybe give good advice," volunteer Cassandra Flagg said.

Foster A Dream also runs a two-week summer program called Get Set to help teenage foster kids prepare for adult life. The program is put on by two staff members and an army of volunteers. Teens work on resumes, practice for job interviews, visit different work places and learn about careers.

"They get interview outfits; we go shopping and they get clothes, brand new clothes for them to wear," Castaneda said.

There's also fun -- swimming, restaurants, even a trip to a zip line course. Through every activity the focus is on all the good these young people have to offer.

The Get Set program is paid for by John Muir Medical Center. Volunteers seem to benefit almost as much as the teens.

"I had a little questionnaire I did with them the other day and I couldn't even get through it because I stopped in the middle of it and said, 'You are my heroes, you people are my heroes, you have overcome things and have taught me so much about life,'" volunteer Teri Andreoli said.

Foster A Dream also distributes clothes and other donations all year long. And every December, they create a winter wonderland for foster children of all ages with activities and gifts to help every child feel special.

"When you find such a need, I just feel like it's a privilege to do it and it's I just think we all need to do whatever we can," volunteer Maureen Little said.

Written and produced by Jennifer Olney

Foster children rely on the kindness and generosity of strangers. Programs like Sleep Train's try to make it easier for those strangers to help.

Here's how you can help foster kids in the Bay Area achieve their dreams. ABC7 News and Sleep Train have teamed up for the Dream Campaign. All you need is your Facebook account! Just go to Facebook.com/abc7news and click on the Dream Campaign tab. For every new 'like' on our page this summer, $1 gets donated to Bay Area kids. Once you 'like' our page, or if you're already a fan, you can still spread the word to your friends. Just choose your favorite badge and share it on your wall.

(Copyright ©2012 KGO-TV/DT.

View the original article here

Organization encourages people to become foster parents

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- ABC7 News and Sleep Train have teamed up for the Dream Campaign. For every new like ABC7 News gets on Facebook, $1 will go to help foster kids. ABC7 News reporter Karina Rusk introduces us to an organization helping foster children and some of the kids benefiting from the nonprofit.

Jani Wild is proof you don't have to give birth to be a mom. She and her partner Deb have five children. Joshua is the oldest. He was just three when he came to them as a foster child with autism. He's now nine and thriving.

"He's incredible; he just got student-of-the-month at school and everyone was beaming from the principal on down," Jani said.

The couple not only adopted Josh, they also adopted four other foster children because they were siblings and didn't want to break up the family.

"I think it helps that both Jani and I come from large families because it's chaos, it's chaos sometimes," Deb Wild said.

The Wilds first became foster parents through a nonprofit called Aspiranet. The organization is dedicated to encouraging more people to become foster parents and helping kids who rely on the foster system.

There are nearly 60,000 children living in foster care in California.

Richard Lazaro Alonso and Steven Weatherbee know firsthand what it's like to need a place to call home.

"My parents weren't able to be there for me when I was younger while growing up in foster care system I was in 12 different homes," Lazaro Alonso said.

The quality of foster care can often have a lifelong impact; Weatherbee now sits on Aspiranet's board of directors.

"I'd like to think that the good foster families I had are going to affect me and in turn and in turn everyone I meet for the rest of my life," he said. "So it's very appreciated."

The Wilds have housed numerous foster children over the years, ranging from days at a time to months. The commitment to five of those children is now forever.

"They have filled our lives and I'm not saying there was something missing we didn't really know what life could bring and now we see what life can bring," Jani said.

It turns out being a foster parent doesn't just change a child's life.

Foster children rely on the kindness and generosity of strangers. Programs like Sleep Train's try to make it easier for those strangers to help.

Here's how you can help foster kids in the Bay Area achieve their dreams. ABC7 News and Sleep Train have teamed up for the Dream Campaign. All you need is your Facebook account! Just go to Facebook.com/abc7news and click on the Dream Campaign tab. For every new 'like' on our page this summer, $1 gets donated to Bay Area kids. Once you 'like' our page, or if you're already a fan, you can still spread the word to your friends. Just choose your favorite badge and share it on your wall.

(Copyright ©2012 KGO-TV/DT.

View the original article here

Organization encourages people to become foster parents

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- ABC7 News and Sleep Train have teamed up for the Dream Campaign. For every new like ABC7 News gets on Facebook, $1 will go to help foster kids. ABC7 News reporter Karina Rusk introduces us to an organization helping foster children and some of the kids benefiting from the nonprofit.

Jani Wild is proof you don't have to give birth to be a mom. She and her partner Deb have five children. Joshua is the oldest. He was just three when he came to them as a foster child with autism. He's now nine and thriving.

"He's incredible; he just got student-of-the-month at school and everyone was beaming from the principal on down," Jani said.

The couple not only adopted Josh, they also adopted four other foster children because they were siblings and didn't want to break up the family.

"I think it helps that both Jani and I come from large families because it's chaos, it's chaos sometimes," Deb Wild said.

The Wilds first became foster parents through a nonprofit called Aspiranet. The organization is dedicated to encouraging more people to become foster parents and helping kids who rely on the foster system.

There are nearly 60,000 children living in foster care in California.

Richard Lazaro Alonso and Steven Weatherbee know firsthand what it's like to need a place to call home.

"My parents weren't able to be there for me when I was younger while growing up in foster care system I was in 12 different homes," Lazaro Alonso said.

The quality of foster care can often have a lifelong impact; Weatherbee now sits on Aspiranet's board of directors.

"I'd like to think that the good foster families I had are going to affect me and in turn and in turn everyone I meet for the rest of my life," he said. "So it's very appreciated."

The Wilds have housed numerous foster children over the years, ranging from days at a time to months. The commitment to five of those children is now forever.

"They have filled our lives and I'm not saying there was something missing we didn't really know what life could bring and now we see what life can bring," Jani said.

It turns out being a foster parent doesn't just change a child's life.

Foster children rely on the kindness and generosity of strangers. Programs like Sleep Train's try to make it easier for those strangers to help.

Here's how you can help foster kids in the Bay Area achieve their dreams. ABC7 News and Sleep Train have teamed up for the Dream Campaign. All you need is your Facebook account! Just go to Facebook.com/abc7news and click on the Dream Campaign tab. For every new 'like' on our page this summer, $1 gets donated to Bay Area kids. Once you 'like' our page, or if you're already a fan, you can still spread the word to your friends. Just choose your favorite badge and share it on your wall.

(Copyright ©2012 KGO-TV/DT.

View the original article here

Nonprofit helps foster kids with extracurricular, emergency expenses

MARTINEZ, Calif. (KGO) -- ABC7 News is teaming up with Sleep Train to help raise awareness and support for foster children in the Bay Area. For every new "like" on the ABC7 News Facebook page, $1 will go to the Sleep Train Dream Campaign, which buys things like clothes and school supplies for foster children.

A group of teens at Foster A Dream in Martinez have been through tough times that no child should ever have to experience and all of them ended up in foster care. But the have hopes for a better future. The group focuses on foster youth 12-24 years old.

"Things that are probably going to spark that idea, 'I can do better, things could be better, life will be better,'" Foster A Dream Executive Director Kim Castaneda said.

Foster A Dream helps foster kids pay for extracurricular activities like proms, senior portraits and sudden emergency expenses.

One young man needed to make a deposit on his college dorm room, but the money from his student loan had not arrived yet.

"He called us and we sent him the money so he wouldn't lose his dorm," Castaneda said.

Only about half of foster children even graduate from high school and many don't have consistent adult support, so foster a dream tries to match them with trained mentors.

"Sometimes they just need to get certain situations and issues off their chest to someone who can listen, maybe give good advice," volunteer Cassandra Flagg said.

Foster A Dream also runs a two-week summer program called Get Set to help teenage foster kids prepare for adult life. The program is put on by two staff members and an army of volunteers. Teens work on resumes, practice for job interviews, visit different work places and learn about careers.

"They get interview outfits; we go shopping and they get clothes, brand new clothes for them to wear," Castaneda said.

There's also fun -- swimming, restaurants, even a trip to a zip line course. Through every activity the focus is on all the good these young people have to offer.

The Get Set program is paid for by John Muir Medical Center. Volunteers seem to benefit almost as much as the teens.

"I had a little questionnaire I did with them the other day and I couldn't even get through it because I stopped in the middle of it and said, 'You are my heroes, you people are my heroes, you have overcome things and have taught me so much about life,'" volunteer Teri Andreoli said.

Foster A Dream also distributes clothes and other donations all year long. And every December, they create a winter wonderland for foster children of all ages with activities and gifts to help every child feel special.

"When you find such a need, I just feel like it's a privilege to do it and it's I just think we all need to do whatever we can," volunteer Maureen Little said.

Written and produced by Jennifer Olney

Foster children rely on the kindness and generosity of strangers. Programs like Sleep Train's try to make it easier for those strangers to help.

Here's how you can help foster kids in the Bay Area achieve their dreams. ABC7 News and Sleep Train have teamed up for the Dream Campaign. All you need is your Facebook account! Just go to Facebook.com/abc7news and click on the Dream Campaign tab. For every new 'like' on our page this summer, $1 gets donated to Bay Area kids. Once you 'like' our page, or if you're already a fan, you can still spread the word to your friends. Just choose your favorite badge and share it on your wall.

(Copyright ©2012 KGO-TV/DT.

View the original article here