First Star

🌟 We’re so excited to announce that First Star is featured in Target Circle™!🌟

To all California Target shoppers, your votes help us receive a portion of Target’s donation to support our mission: providing high school youth and young adults with foster care experience with the tools, support, and opportunities to successfully transition to self-sufficiency through higher education or other viable pathways.

Here’s how to vote in the Target app or online:
✅ Step 1: Choose ‘My Target’ in the Target app or ‘Account’ on Target.com
✅ Step 2: Tap ‘Cast votes’
✅ Step 3: Find First Star & vote

🗳️ You can earn more votes and keep voting through September 30; every vote makes a difference!

Thank you for supporting First Star and helping us reach more youth and young adults across the country. Let’s show Target how strong our community is!

Welcome to the First Star Rising Newsletter, where we offer an inside look at how First Star is helping youth and young adults in foster care thrive by celebrating their achievements, sharing inspiring stories, and highlighting the progress we are making together.

Stay informed, inspired, and connected to the First Star mission.

Subscribe here: https://loom.ly/xymBE2A

Dear friends of First Star,

I'm excited to share First Star's 2024 Impact Report (https://loom.ly/FKpbu-8), highlighting our journey in empowering youth in foster care throughout the year. Since our founding in 2000, First Star has pioneered university-based Academies, achieved outstanding graduation rates, provided crucial support to alumni, and forged partnerships with community organizations. As we embark on our next 25 years, we're exploring innovative ways to expand our programs, thanks to your unwavering support.

Your contributions drive transformative research, enhance curriculum with micro-credentialing certifications, advocate for policy change, and foster pathways to higher education. Together, we're creating lasting change.
Join us in celebrating our 25th Anniversary on October 21, 2025. Your involvement fuels our mission to empower young lives.

With gratitude,
First Star

We’re thrilled to celebrate the June 10th release of Finding Happy, the powerful new book by our President and Co-Founder, Peter Samuelson!

Peter has dedicated his life to uplifting children in crisis, and now he shares that journey with the world in this inspiring memoir. Finding Happy is a story of compassion, purpose, and what it means to truly make a difference.

📖 Dive into Peter’s incredible path — from Hollywood producer to nonprofit visionary — and discover how the pursuit of happiness can transform lives.

Available now wherever books are sold!

💙 Thank You for Supporting Our Scholars 💙

Now that Foster Care Awareness Month has come to a close, we want to express our heartfelt thanks to all who rallied behind our Foster Care Awareness campaign. Your generosity not only unlocked the $10,000 Board match but also raised a remarkable $20,015! To our alumni, leadership, and generous supporters, thank you for standing with us. To our Board of Directors, and especially Peter Samuelson, we are grateful for your leadership and for launching the Matching Gift Challenge that helped us finish strong.

Our 2024 First Star Impact Report is now live. Take a look at the impact you helped make and how your support will continue to shape lives through the rest of 2025.

📄 View the report: https://loom.ly/FKpbu-8

If you did not get a chance to donate, it is not too late. You can still make a difference at www.firststar.org/donate.

🚨 Final Week to Give: Help Us Reach $10,000 🚨

We have raised $4,400 of our $10,000 goal, and now your donation will be matched by our Board of Directors. Celebrate Foster Care Awareness Month by helping us reach our goal. For 25 years, First Star Scholars have lived and learned on college campuses, developed life skills, and built lasting relationships with mentors. They are achieving educational milestones and building thriving futures.

You can help expand this impact for the next generation.

💡 Be the light. Support a Scholar. Double your impact today.
👉 Donate today and your gift will be matched: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/first-star-inc/give-today-because-thriving-futures-start-with-you

🌟 We are halfway through Foster Care Awareness Month, and your support has already made an incredible impact. Our work is not finished yet.

In honor of 25 years of First Star’s commitment to youth in foster care, we are launching a Matching Gift Challenge.

💙 Starting May 15, every donation will be matched dollar for dollar by our Board of Directors. Your $50 becomes $100. Your $143 becomes $286. All to help First Star Scholars dream bigger and achieve more.

✨ Be the light that guides a foster youth toward a thriving future.
👉 Give today and double your impact. https://secure.givelively.org/donate/first-star-inc/give-today-because-thriving-futures-start-with-you

Students across West Virginia partnered with the Mountain Stewardship and Outdoor Leadership School for their inspiring 2025 videos (), showcasing passion for a better planet (www.SlingshotChallenge.org). National Geographic announces winners on May 15th. To build excitement, the Mountain Stewardship and Outdoor Leadership School held a WV online film festival where students voted, and staff selected a project. We are so proud of our two WV scholars for winning the WV National Geographic Slingshot Challenge Film Festival by popular vote.

Best Visual Production
Abandoned Buildings
Arrow, Homeschool

Emotionally Impactful Video
Pets and Homelessness
TF, Berkeley Springs High School

KVC West Virginia

Students from schools across West Virginia worked with us to submit their inspiring videos to the 2025 from . We are moved by their passion, creativity, and innovation to move our planet forward. Find out more at
www.SlingshotChallenge.org. On May 15th the winners of the challenge will be announced by National Geographic and we can hardly wait!

To help ease our anticipation, we hosted the WV online film festival where kids across the state were able to vote on their favorite categories! Our staff also voted on which project we want to implement and move forward! It was an amazing day. Please join us in recognizing the student favorites listed below:

1) Most Entertaining Video
Hydroelectric versus Coal
Charlotte Ames and Teagan Taylor, Morgantown Learning Academy

2) Most Informative Video
Landslide Prevention with Biocrust
Lila Tenenholz, Morgantown High School

3) Most Effective Solution
S.H.E.L.F.F.F: Super Helpful Exchange Loop for Free Food
Winnie Huffman, Caroline Padula, Maggie Huffman
Zoey Sherrill, Madeleine Sherrill, Jude Morris
Morgantown Homeschool Co-op

4) Most Creative Solution
Save the Beaches
Oli Newmeyer, Morgantown Learning Academy

5) Best Visual Production
Abandoned Buildings
Arrow Krynock, Homeschool

6) Most Comedic
“I’m Recycling”
Ella Clark, Morgantown Learning Academy

7) Emotionally Impactful Video
Pets and Homelessness
TF, Berkeley Springs High School

8) Most Original/Innovative Solution
Sunflower Soil Filtration
Toria Tower, University High School

9) Most "Eye Catching" Graphics
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Ruth Prinkey, St Francis de Sales Central Catholic School

10) Staff Pick for Solution to Implement
Sunflower Soil Filtration
Toria Tower, University High School

🌟 Give today – because thriving futures start with you! 🌟

We are celebrating 25 years of First Star helping youth in foster care thrive, not just survive. From living on college campuses to learning life skills and building connections with mentors, First Star Scholars are breaking barriers and beating the odds.

Now it's your turn to help build the next 25 years of impact.
💡 Be the light. Support a Scholar. Donate today.
👉 Join us and donate today: https://loom.ly/7YrX620

Happy Valentine’s Day! ❤️

This Valentine’s Day and throughout the year, join us in celebrating First Star’s 25th Anniversary by supporting our scholars through focused micro-grants designed to meet their most consistent and impactful needs. A little love goes a long way, and our 25 years of working with foster youth have shown that even small acts of kindness can create a big difference.

Thank you for supporting improved educational access for youth in care! On this special day and beyond, your kindness helps create lasting change, opening doors and brightening futures. You can donate by following this link: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/first-star-inc/fostering-25-years-of-love 💕