There is a positive program from Youth Villages helping teens make a successful leap from foster care to adulthood when adoption either isn’t an option or just doesn’t happen. It’s called transitional living, and is funded by private donations, contributions from Youth Villages’ employees, the state of Tennessee, and one other very important source: The license plates you see on the back of some cars in the state. They are special Youth Villages plates, and have the Youth Villages’ signature “red kite” logo on them.
An impressive young man named Abram is one of the many teens utilizing the Transitional Living program. “T.L. can come in very handy because they teach you about budgeting money and lots of other things too. Housing, and stuff like that. T.L. will help you find a job, get an education and teach you how to actually put effort toward it,” said 17-year-old Abram.
Transitional living starts by matching a foster child to a counselor. That counselor helps the individual kids learn about all sorts of things, like Abram said, that aren’t taught in school. Those details easily fall through the cracks for a teen without a family to help him. Abram’s foster parents, Michael and Michelle Johnson, are in favor of the program. “I think T.L. gives and teaches those things that you really take for granted knowing as an adult. With T.L. they go over a large range of items that you need to know as you enter adulthood,” said Michael Johnson.
Studies show that without support, many foster children who become adults without becoming adopted will not graduate high school, find steady employment, or be able to sustain a home, so they end up on the streets.
When you renew your license plate tags, consider getting a special Youth Villages plate. It will make a donation to kids from foster care; helping them build a better tomorrow for themselves and our community as a whole.
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