Ready to Shuffle for Former Foster Youth
Shuffleboard is fun! Hanging out with friends and making new ones? Also fun! Raising money for an incredibly good cause, while playing shuffleboard with friends and enjoying delicious food and drink? Right this way to the Ready to Shuffle charity event at St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club on Thursday, November 7.
The second annual benefit for Ready for Life, a skill center that supports former foster care youth, offers attendees fun, refreshments, and the heartfelt satisfaction of helping those who need it. Whether you’re a regular shuffler or just curious, all are invited to come out for a cause that offers “homelessness prevention, education and employment, and lifeline support networks” for former foster youth.
Making the transition from child, to adolescent, to fledgling adult is fraught with difficulty in the best of circumstances. But what if you had no reliable support system? No safety net to fall back on? There are many unfortunate circumstances that can lead to a child being placed in foster care, but at age 18, many of these children are expected to fend for themselves in all areas of life.
Michelle Walag, Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for Ready for Life Pinellas, recently shared some sobering statistics about life after foster care in the US. Of children who turn 18 in foster care, 20% become instantly homeless; less than 3% earn a college degree by age 26; only 50% find employment by age 24; 60% of young women who age out end up in the sex industry; 70% of young women are pregnant by 21; 25% of youth who age out are dealing with PTSD.
What can help foster youth from becoming another statistic? “Ready for Life has diverse resources and programs for former foster care youth,” said Walag.
According to their website, “RFL offers a unique Educational Learning Lab program; a Mental Health Counselor; legal services provided through the Community Law Program, supported by the St. Petersburg Bar Association; Mentor Program; Youth Council; Mommy & Me; Keys to Independence; Child Abuse Prevention; and more.”
After 15 years, RFL’s successes of are now being replicated in other communities. They continue to fine tune what Walag calls “wraparound” services, including affordable housing, employment, access to healthcare, and transportation by making connections with various public and private agencies. And, perhaps just as importantly, “The organization endeavors to impart a sense of belonging that so many of these individuals need to feel.”
Find out how you can sponsor, donate, volunteer, or shuffle for the cause at readyforlifepinellas.org/shuffle.
