First Star

COMMENTARY: My life as a foster youth includes dreams of college Students in foster care need and deserve the same stability and the nurturing attention that many kids growing up with traditional family support take for granted.

We're proud to lead tFYPC, a coalition of leading California-based organizations working to improve high school completion rates for foster youth. Together, we're making a difference! Read more at: https://tfypc.org

We've already raised over $16,000 towards this matching challenge! Members of the First Star Board of Directors have pledged a generous 1-1 matching gift up to $25,000 during Foster Care Awareness Month. Every dollar you contribute during the month of May will effectively double your impact and get us closer to unlocking the full match.

Help us unlock this critical funding by following this link to donate: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/first-star-inc/first-star-s-foster-care-awareness-month-match-campaign

With your support, we can raise a total of $50,000 in just one month, making a meaningful difference in the lives of the First Star scholars! Your contribution will provide the resources to ensure our students continue to outpace their peers. 97% of our scholars graduate high school and an impressive 91% continue to post-secondary education. With your help, we can expand opportunities for our foster youth!

✨There's Still Time to Double Your Impact💫 - https://mailchi.mp/firststar.org/celebrate-givingtuesday-with-first-star-9366254

Join us for Episode 3 of the Scholar Voice Podcast, My Dearest
Anxiety. As the final episode of the mini-series, scholars will reflect upon their journey through the writing project and the deeply introspective themes it has raised. They'll also discuss their plans for moving forward, equipped with newfound coping mechanisms and skills, whether they're transitioning to college or the next year of high school. Your donations make a real difference in supporting initiatives like the Scholar Advisory Committee, allowing us to create more opportunities for our scholars. With your help, we can create even more opportunities for our scholars and continue expanding educational access for youth in care! Thank you for your support!

Watch the full podcast episode on YouTube!
https://youtu.be/_bgBDjKqfDk

Your donations make an even greater impact during Foster Care Awareness Month. Our Board has committed to matching the first $25K in donations made throughout May. Donate today! Thank you for supporting educational access for youth in care!

Join us for Episode 2 of the Scholar Voice Podcast Series: Show & Tell. In this episode, our scholars share stories about cherished items from their past that carry profound symbolism in their personal narratives. Your donations aid initiatives like the Scholar Advisory Committee, empowering us to create additional opportunities for our scholars. Please consider donating to support initiatives like the Scholar Advisory Committee. With your help, we can create even more opportunities for our scholars and continue expanding educational access for youth in care! Thank you for your support!

Watch the full podcast episode on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qESSsDRvVV0

Your donations make an even greater impact during Foster Care Awareness Month. Our Board has committed to matching the first $25K in donations made throughout May. Donate today! Thank you for supporting educational access for youth in care!

✨Help us Double our Impact💫 - https://mailchi.mp/firststar.org/celebrate-givingtuesday-with-first-star-9365741

Join us for the Scholar Voice Podcast "Imposter Syndrome: Building a Healthy Relationship with Yourself." Using the writing prompt "Dear past/present/future me," scholars will explore how their experiences of imposter syndrome have challenged their sense of identity. Tune in as they share strategies for combating these feelings by building a healthy relationship with themselves. Please consider donating to support initiatives like the Scholar Advisory Committee. With your help, we can create even more opportunities for our scholars and continue expanding educational access for youth in care! Thank you for your support!

Watch the full podcast episode on YouTube!
https://youtu.be/5eEZPRx7UgU

Your donations make an even greater impact during Foster Care Awareness Month. Our Board has committed to matching the first $25K in donations made throughout May. Donate today! Thank you for supporting educational access for youth in care!

May is Foster Care Awareness Month and First Star's Impact Report is Here! 🌟 -

May is Foster Care Awareness Month and First Star's Impact Report is Here! 🌟

May marks Foster Care Awareness Month! This year, First Star focuses on the theme of Identity and Self-Discovery for our youth in care. Tune in to the Scholar Voice Podcast as the First Star Scholar Advisory Committee (Instagram: .scholaradvisorycommittee) releases three insightful episodes:

Episode I: Imposter Syndrome
Episode II: Intersections of Identity
Episode III: Self-Discovery

Your donations make an even greater impact during Foster Care Awareness Month. Our Board has committed to matching the first $25K in donations made throughout May. Donate today! Thank you for supporting educational access for youth in care!

First Star's Former Board Member and dear friend, Glen Friedman, was honored for his remarkable achievements and personal commitment to supporting the Crete Academy at their annual Appreciation Brunch. Crete Academy is an organization dedicated to uplifting the lives of unhoused students in Los Angeles. Our CEO, Lyndsey C. Wilson, joined in the celebration for Glen.

Please join the filmmaker on Saturday, May 4th, from 3 PM - 5 PM PST for a screening of Possible Selves: Overcoming the Odds in Foster Care in the beautiful Mark Taper Auditorium at the L.A. Public Library’s central branch.

The screening, hosted by PBS SoCal and the L.A. Public Library, will celebrate the film’s national launch on PBS later in May.

After the screening, there will be a panel discussion with First Star board member Alex Ballantyne (one of the film’s inspiring onscreen participants); thought leaders from the National Foster Youth Institute and First Star; and the film’s director.

Central Library

630 W. 5th Street

Los Angeles, CA 90071

Validated parking is available in the lot located at 524 South Flower Street.

More information is available on the Library’s event page: https://eksoki4ab.cc.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001xlwinkTPAXtYbLU7Q_sCE-izwnNToQPAEjJeilHGuSebH1AGgncuO04oit9OpTmnn9ltdNF11lHCgg58pv0yqyrBtUJ57p6Xtl47dJoJ5caeT0QMIOGIrE63UHWW5s_7dhIOWvqfAtdyf2zN5JSD9caH-NSJHQ_2AVHo4Vn_vlyXKqIjGNMydgDn2wTRsCx_55o4zLtJZTa2wqqkRNSfWA==&c=w3VJZnwvGpRRRL8uyna8gXz85LUA-hvyzFRRYEp_pv7aqa_ee-6flg==&ch=G04eaQ12K7RDNvcJlbfOJXSk3ZOqvUJofzL37LAhr-rMMAtWiQPWtw==

Maria De Castro, director of First Star Academy at the University of Miami, and Jerry Stott, director of First Star Academy at the University of Utah, shared their students' experiences with completing FASFA in this article by The Imprint.

FAFSA Debacle Will Hit Foster, Homeless Youth the Hardest Problems with the FAFSA application process will hit foster and homeless youth hardest if professionals don't step up for them

This past Sunday, First Star CEO Lyndsey C. Wilson received the Powerful Pioneer/ Alumna Honoree award from the Los Angeles Alumni Chapter of Spelman College.

Lyndsey expressed profound gratitude for the support of both her biological and chosen families, highlighting the importance of these connections for foster care students. She shared her personal journey from Spelman, Teach For America, Inglewood, CA principal, to First Star, Inc., where she leads a policy coalition supporting youth in foster care in California, the Foster Youth PreCollege Collective.

She closed her speech by encouraging everyone to shine their own light and to recognize the light in others. We are so proud that she shares her brilliant light with First Star.

The First Star Old Dominion University (ODU) Academy received the Partner of the Year award at the Foster Care Aware Gala hosted by Tidewater Friends of Foster Care (TFFC). The Gala gathered to celebrate those making a difference for youth in foster care and highlighted TFFC's impact. TaShara Bailey, former First Star ODU director, and Brian Ritchey, First Star’s Senior Director of Academy Partnerships, attended the event and accepted the award on behalf of our team!

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Since 1976, every American president has designated February as Black History Month and endorsed a specific theme. The Black History Month 2024 theme, “African Americans and the Arts,” explores the key influence African Americans have had in the fields of "visual and performing arts, literature, fashion, folklore, language, film, music, architecture, culinary and other forms of cultural expression."

Through the First Star STEAM Academy, exploration into the arts included a session on sustainable fashion. You can watch the series on our YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdiOqcK7CMA

To explore more about this year's theme, please visit the Association of African American Life and History website (ASALH): https://asalh.org/black-history-themes/

Have you ever considered what our scholars want you to know about foster care?

The First Star Scholar Advisory Committee (SAC) uplifts student voices and enacts foster care system change. SAC hosted the Scholar Voice Podcast Series, a community space dedicated to scholar voice and developing solutions. To watch the series, please visit our linktree: https://loom.ly/8zSaDq4

We remember the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and his impact on our nation. His words remain true many years later as we are reminded of the importance of serving others, loving our neighbors, and pursuing justice and equality for all.

Pictured: Our CEO, Lyndsey C. Wilson's grandfather, Rev. G. Mansfield Collins (Left), a Tuskegee Airman and Martin Luther King, Jr. (Right)

Happy New Year from First Star! 🌟

There's still time to give! Join us in making a positive impact in our community! Give by texting GIVEFIRST23 to 44-321 or following this link: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/first-star-inc/givingeverytuesday-2023. Thank you for supporting improved educational access for youth in care!

Warm holiday wishes from First Star! 🌟

There's still time to give! Join us in making a positive impact in our community! Give by texting GIVEFIRST23 to 44-321 or following this link: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/first-star-inc/givingeverytuesday-2023 . Thank you for supporting improved educational access for youth in care!

Our 2022 Impact Report highlights the investment we've made in our First Star Scholars. Through our programs and services, we have helped youth in foster care achieve academic success, gain access to mental health resources, and build meaningful relationships with caring adults.

Going forward, we are strengthening our organization so we can continue helping First Star scholars achieve their dreams. None of this would be possible without the support of our incredible community of donors, volunteers, and partners. Your investment and dedication to our cause have been essential to our success, and we are grateful for your ongoing support. As we look ahead to the future, we are committed to continuing our work to support teenagers and young adults to create a brighter future for all young people. Your support helps us continue to work to uplift communities and create change by building strong pathways for hundreds of high-school-age youth in care to post-secondary education and successful adult lives.

To view our full 2022 Impact Report, please follow this link: https://www.firststar.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2022-Impact-Report-6823r.pdf. There's still time to give!

Join us in making a positive impact in our community! Give by texting GIVEFIRST23 to 44-321 or by clicking this link: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/first-star-inc/givingeverytuesday-2023. Thank you for supporting improved educational access for youth in care!

This season, our friends at BÉIS have partnered with Erewhon. Introducing the not basic BÉISIC smoothie by Shay Mitchell! It's available through December 14th, and a portion of the proceeds will go to First Star!

You can grab a treat if you're in the Los Angeles area. It's a delicious way to support First Star!

A blend of vibrant greens, organic cold-pressed coffee, the power of Four Sigmatic Vanilla Protein, and a touch of holiday spice! This is not your "basic" smoothie, and it's a symphony of flavors.

You don't have to support First Star in the Los Angeles area. There are many ways to support! You can give by texting GIVEFIRST23 to 44-321 or by following this link: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/first-star-inc/givingeverytuesday-2023

We are delighted to share that the First Star Network gathered in person for our seventh Annual National Conference from October 18th—20th in Arizona! Co-hosted by our partners at Arizona State University, we spent three fantastic days together exploring the theme of this year’s conference, “The Power of Connection!" During our time together, we shared our successes, strengthened our community, and collaborated on our next steps toward our teams' and brilliant scholars’ bright futures. Alongside Academy Directors from across the country, we were joined by ASU leadership: Sr. Vice President-Educational Outreach and Student Services, Dr. James Rund; Vice President-Outreach Partnerships, Dr. Sharon Smith; the Deputy Vice President of Access ASU, Vanessa Ruiz; and Career Pathways Director, Roger Fisher. We held community dinners, delved into Academy best practices, hosted Q&As with key members of the ASU community, and found moments to celebrate our teammates across the country!

Please consider supporting First Star by following this link: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/first-star-inc/givingeverytuesday-2023 or by texting GIVEFIRST23 to 44-321!

There's still time to give! Join us in making a positive impact in our community! Give by texting GIVEFIRST23 to 44-321or by visiting this link: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/first-star-inc/givingeverytuesday-2023. Thank you for supporting improved educational access for youth in care!