Our Impact
Structured Support Changes Everything
Data on extended foster care (study data is limited to age 21) and transitional programs shows structured support can completely change the trajectory of a young person's life.
High School Diploma / GED
Without support: 42–45% don't have one by age 19. With support: 69% more likely to earn it.
Source: Chapin Hall — Impacts of Extended Foster Care on Youth Outcomes (CalYOUTH study)
Homelessness
Without support: 20% become homeless the day they emancipate. With support: 41% less likely to experience it.
Source: Chapin Hall — Impacts of Extended Foster Care on Youth Outcomes (CalYOUTH study)
College Enrollment
Without support: 71–80% never enroll after high school. With support: 63% more likely to enroll.
Source: Chapin Hall — Impacts of Extended Foster Care on Youth Outcomes (CalYOUTH study)
Incarceration
Without support: over 40% spend time in a correctional facility. With support: approximately 64% less likely to face a criminal record.
Source: The Annie E. Casey Foundation — Fostering Youth Transitions. Directionally supported (each added year in extended care reduces arrest odds)
Read how one young woman turned an
unofficial chosen family into a life of her own making.
My name is Sam. I wasn't officially part of the foster care system, but my story is one of resilience, love, and the power of kindness. It began when I was five years old, a lonely child neglected by my biological parents. Doris, a woman in my neighborhood, noticed my plight and unofficially became my foster mom.
Doris was more than just a neighbor; she was a beacon of hope in my life. The first time she brushed my hair, I remember feeling a sense of strange wonder. My hair was tangled into softball-sized knots, a testament to the neglect I had experienced. But Doris took the time to gently untangle it, showing me a maternal kindness I had only ever remembered experiencing from my grandmother who lived on the other side of the country in New Jersey.
The small gestures of kindness that Doris showed me were powerful. For the first time in my life, I felt what it was like to be cared for, to be loved unconditionally. These experiences with Doris shaped me, teaching me the importance of compassion and kindness.
When Doris passed away from bone cancer when I was 14, I was devastated. But her lessons stayed with me, guiding me as I navigated the world without her. I learned to accept the reality that the family connection I had was made of people I found as an adult. I learned to face my feelings of abandonment head-on. I realized that suffering doesn't come from our experiences, but rather from our inability to accept them. That acceptance brought me inner peace, allowing me to move from a state of suffering to a state of thriving.
Inspired by Doris's kindness, I decided to pay it forward. I wanted to help others the way Doris had helped me. I found purpose in my pain, using my experiences to guide others through their own struggles — teaching them the power of acceptance and showing them how to move from suffering to creativity and thriving.
Looking back, I see how far I've come. From a neglected child to a thriving adult, I've transformed my pain into purpose. Despite the hardships I faced, I wouldn't change a thing. My experiences have made me who I am today — a testament to the power of kindness, resilience, and acceptance. And for that, I am eternally grateful to Doris, the woman who found me, made me part of her faimily, and showed me what it means to be unconditionally loved.
- With Kindness and Gratitude,
Samantha, Founder of Found Family, Inc.