Community Elevates Youth to Adulthood

DES MOINES, IA (04/22/2010)(readMedia)-- Nearly 500 foster youth will turn 18 and leave the foster care system this year in Iowa. Many of them will struggle to find a place to live, to pay the rent, to put food on the table, to find a job or even a bed in which to sleep. Children & Families of Iowa's Elevate program is giving these youth a hand living on their own with its third annual "Elevate Our Youth to Adulthood" event, April 29 ¬- May 1, 2010.

Elevate is a program of Children & Families of Iowa (CFI) and is a group of young people, ages 13 and up, who educate others about the needs of teens growing up in state care. Elevate members desire to inspire positive changes in the foster care system by sharing their personal stories of survival and hope. As a part of its mission, Elevate helps to prepare foster teens for life beyond foster care.

"Elevate Our Youth to Adulthood" is designed to give foster teens moving out on their own the support they need to become independent, productive members of the community. This year, 17 youth, ages 13 to 22, from Des Moines and the surrounding area have been chosen to receive apartment makeovers. An additional 10 teenage boys will benefit from a makeover of the CFI group home where they reside. Coordinating these efforts is Children & Families of Iowa's Educational/Vocational Transition Specialist Cheryl Johnson. With help from community sponsors and individual donors, youth will receive new household items, redecorating and, in some cases, remodeling of their apartments to help them achieve independence and to create a safe, comfortable home.

"I'm truly grateful for the way the community has gotten behind this project," says Johnson. "Our sponsors have been very supportive. For many, this is their third year of helping out. It is such a worthwhile project and the youth are very deserving. The makeovers show the kids that others do care about them, believe in them and want them to succeed in life."

Apartment makeover recipient, Jasmine, entered foster care when she was very young and has lived in group care and a variety of foster homes since. Now 17, Jasmine recently received her high school diploma from West Central Valley High School in Stuart, Iowa and is living on her own in an Independent Living Program apartment.

Most young people get a help from mom and dad in purchasing items for their first apartment and in making decisions about the future, but Jasmine doesn't have this kind of family support. To enter Jasmine's apartment, you would wonder if anyone was actually living there. Jasmine needs a new bed, a mattress and bedding; a dresser, and other bedroom and bathroom items. Her living room is bare except for a small television and stand. The kitchen has a table but none of the appliances and utensils needed to prepare a meal that would be eaten there.

A group of volunteers from Pioneer plans to remedy the situation and turn Jasmine's empty apartment into a home at the end of the month. The remaining 16 foster youth have been paired with the following sponsors: Principal Financial Group, Wells Fargo Financial, SES Solutions, Crown's Club, Young Professionals Connection, ITA Group, Nationwide, Children & Families of Iowa's Board of Directors and St. Mark Lutheran Church. The boys' group home work is being coordinated by members of Valley Evangelical Free Church. All makeover recipients will also receive a housewarming box and personal gift from Plymouth Congregational Church.

Another two Elevate youth will receive household furniture and goods once they graduate and are settled in their apartments in June, sponsored by employees of the Weitz Co and the Polk County Treasurer's office. In conjunction with the apartment makeovers, additional Elevate youth who are graduating from high school will receive suitcases filled with items needed for their first apartment or dorm, sponsored by CFI's Foundation Board, Principal Financial Group and St. Mark Lutheran Church.

CFI's Elevate will honor apartment makeover sponsors and youth at a wrap-up celebration dinner Wednesday, May 18, 2010, from 6 to 8 p.m., at Lutheran Church of Hope, which is providing space for the dinner free of charge and is located at 925 Jordan Creek Parkway in West Des Moines. This event will highlight before and after photos of all completed apartments and help to raise awareness of the issues and challenges that youth face when they "age out" of the foster care system.

Children & Families of Iowa is restoring hope, building futures and changing lives for thousands of Iowans every year. Last year, the organization touched more than 21,000 lives in all 99 Iowa counties, providing programs for victims of domestic violence, creating safe homes for children, preparing children to succeed, restoring futures for at-risk teens, and helping people make healthy choices. For more information about Children & Families of Iowa's Elevate program and the apartment makeover project, contact Cheryl Johnson at 515.697.7917.

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(To arrange an interview, to tour an apartment makeover as it happens or for other photo opportunities, contact Cheryl Johnson: 515.865.3515. For more information about Elevate, please visit: www.elevate2inspire.com or www.cfiowa.org.)