We would like to thank all the people and businesses that keep the Heart Gallery going with your generous donations, contributions, volunteering and advocating for these special children.
We strive to include all who have helped us succeed. If we have missed you or have not included you on our list, we apologize and hope you bring this to our attention.
Thank you!
Partnering for Success
A Family for Every Childās mentoring program is essential to helping foster youth make school and life transitions at critical stages in their development. OCF strongly supports enhancing this
important program, ensuring positive, successful mentoring experiences for an estimated 60 middle and high school students throughout Lane County.
Kathleen Cornett
Vice President of Grants & Programs
Oregon Community Foundation
Academic Support
A Family For Every Child's (AFFEC) mentor program is expanding its reach by connecting with children's schools in order to help them perform better academically and remain on track to
graduate. With support from the Oregon Community Foundation, AFFEC has brought on a new team member who is charged with conducting
school based community outreach, connecting with children's school counselors, and supporting our mentors in their mentee's academic life. This will allow AFFEC to help children and
teens see greater academic success, and feel more supported by caring adults in their lives. Currently a little more than half of foster youth obtain a high school diploma due to difficulties
when transitioning from home to home, and mentors have the potential to ease those transitions with schools and other institutions. Thanks to the Oregon Community Foundation, AFFEC
will now be supporting mentors and youth to help ensure children not only receive their diploma, but exceed academic expectations. Our new Education Liaison is Mary Bromley, Mary has
been an AFFEC mentor for over five years. She is the only consistent person in the life of her mentee. Mary also recently retired from the school district and will begin working with us on
our Education/Mentor/Mentee Program as an Education Liaison.
Life Skills
In addition to providing more academic support, AFFEC is launching a Mentor Assisted Life Skills Program which will pair mentors with youth who will work on developing life skills together.
Mentors and mentees will be offered a curriculum that includes information on how to handle one's finances, healthcare, cooking, and more. This program will better prepare children who
are at risk of "aging out" of foster care for living on their own. These classes in conjunction with the mentors' support will aid in the success of each child becoming a self sufficient adult!
Our new Life skills effort is lead by our new team Member: Christina Sutton Christina comes with a long history of connection to AFFEC. In the very early days she ran our Mentor
Program, and then she took a break to foster and adopt many children. While she still has a house full, she is getting involved again to help us build our education classes for youth at risk of
aging out of care and those who will become adults with little preparation for the real world. She will plan and teach bi-weekly classes on everything from "How to write a check" to "How to shop
for food" to college, trade-school knowledge, and resume-building. Christina grew up in foster care and never got a family of her own, so her passion for at-risk youth is huge and based in real-life
experience.
Contact Us
If you would like to get involved in this effort, we need you ā contact mentor@afamilyforeverychild.org or
Christy@afamilyforeverychild.orgor call 541-343-2856.
