All 23 Columbus Metropolitan Library branches now serve as a Safe Place for homeless youth

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Columbus Library branches designated "safe place" for homeless youth
Glenn McEntyre, 7/10/18, 10TV.com

Connecting young people in need to help - that's the aim of a new partnership involving the Columbus Metropolitan Library. And there are new options for youth with no place else to turn.

It is a reality no one wants to be true: An estimated 2000 young people in Columbus, homeless.

"That breaks my heart every time I go home, knowing that I have a home to go to, and these young people do not," said Kyra Crockett-Hodge. She leads youth outreach at Huckleberry House, the only youth shelter in Columbus.

"It could just be a young person going through a crisis situation that they need a break from home right now. Or we have young people who are actually living on the land, who have been homeless for a while now," she said.

One of the hurdles facing those teens is knowing where to find the help that exists. "If I'm on the west side of town, or I'm on the south side of town and I need help, how am I going to get to Huckleberry House?"

Through a new partnership, every branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library is a designated 'Safe Place' connected to the services of Huck House.

"The Safe Place is really an opportunity to expand our front porch to the community," Crockett-Hodge said. "So young people who had the obstacle of finding Huckleberry House or getting here, can now go to any one of those places, tell them that they're there for the Safe Place program, and Huck House will send a cab to pick that kid up and bring them to Huckleberry House."

The Library says the partnership makes perfect sense.

"Here in the summertime when kids are out of school, we see so many of them here in our libraries and our staff build incredible relationships with them," said spokesperson Ben Zenitsky. "That's what we're here for. Our staff members can do more than recommend a good book. They can really help children in need and point them in the direction of resources that can help them."

Help that could change - even save - a young person's life.

Huckleberry House also partners in the "Safe Place" program with the Columbus Division of Fire, White Castle, and Kroger. Adding in the 23 library branches, there are now one 115 "Safe Place" sites where young people can go for help.

My Very Own Blanket celebrates 19 years of caring about foster care youth

For 19 years nonprofit has shown foster kids that somebody cares 
By Allison Ward, Columbus Dispatch, July 12, 2018

With her three children drifting to sleep in their cribs and toddler bed, Jessica Hollins sat in a rocking chair in the youngsters’ shared nursery, wanting them to feel her presence. By the glow of night lights and with soft music playing, she knitted a blanket for the little ones.

It was in that moment of serenity that Hollins (who recently remarried and is now Jessica Rudolph) had a revelation of sorts about her latest knitting project: “I thought: ‘They don’t need another blanket. Who should I make this for?’” 

The answer to that question inspired her life’s work. Rudolph’s babies are now 19, 20 and 21, and, almost two decades later, My Very Own Blanket has donated more than 100,000 handmade blankets to children in foster care nationwide. 

The Dublin resident believes that God was speaking to her all those years ago, as she can’t otherwise explain why the idea of a blanket donation popped into her head. Viewing it as a call to action, she sent a letter to relatives and friends asking for help with her newfound mission, which she originally operated out of her home but now runs from a small shop in Westerville.

During that first year, 2000, she collected 84 blankets — including six she made herself — to distribute to foster children in three counties (Delaware, Seneca and Crawford). Listen to the Life in the 614 podcast: In 2001, she amassed 526, and the number of blankets — quilted, knitted, crocheted, no-sew fleece — has steadily increased annually, culminating last year in 10,000.

A rising need for blankets in recent years has heightened Rudolph’s passion. “Right now, the (foster)-care system is in crisis because of the drug epidemic,” she said.

From July 2013 to October 2017, the number of children in states’ custody increased 23 percent, to 15,510 — and could reach 20,000 by 2020, according to a report by the Public Children Services Association of Ohio.

Hearing stories about court dockets full of foster-care cases and children who’ve watched their parents overdose helps to sustain Rudolph amid the challenges of keeping a volunteer-driven nonprofit afloat and relevant. (Rudolph, the sole employee of My Very Own Blanket, began drawing a salary only last year.) 

And meeting people such as Nikki Chinn only intensifies her resolve.Chinn, now 27, remembers getting to pick out a blanket from dozens available soon after she went to live in a children’s home. She was 14 when the state took custody of her, but Franklin County Children’s Services had been involved with her life for a decade because of parental abuse, neglect and drug use.

The young Chinn opted for a red-and-gray fleece blanket, she said, sleeping with it nightly. “It was something that was mine,” said the Orient resident, who is studying to be a social worker at Columbus State Community College. “All the other blankets we used were communal blankets and were just washed and passed from room to room.” 

The gift, she said, was special and comforting. “I kept that blanket for years until it went to my younger sibling in foster care.”

Rudolph quickly realized the tremendous effect that her small gesture was having on foster children. “Sometimes, law enforcement is involved and they’re (children are) removed really quickly,” Rudolph said. “Social workers, if they do have time, it’s only 15 minutes. They told me, ’We’re just trying to find matching shoes, clothes and socks.”

A personalized tag — featuring the names of both the blanket maker and its recipient, serves to remind children of their worth, she said.

“All of their ‘safe’ is gone, and all of their love is gone,” Rudolph said. “They can feel like they aren’t loved. It may not have been a safe love, but it was all they’ve known. We give them something to hang onto, something that can be their ‘safe.’” 

Those who work directly with children in such situations say they can’t overemphasize the importance of the work that Rudolph, her core group of volunteers and all the blanket makers do.

Lisa Dickson — who was in foster care as a youth and is now the communications chairwoman for ACTION Ohio, which works to improve outcomes in the foster-care system — said foster children lack “family privilege.” “I’m a stepmom, and I make handmade stuff for my children all the time,” Dickson said. “Children in foster care don’t have that. Having the physical expression and comfort of something handmade is priceless.”

Mark Mecum, chief executive officer of Ohio Children’s Alliance, said he has watched Rudolph’s organization battle hurdles such as rising shipping costs, volunteer burnout and the need for logistical changes. He was so impressed that he joined the organization’s board of trustees. “Most businesses and nonprofits don’t exist after five years,” Mecum said. “A volunteer-driven organization of almost 19 years is almost unheard of.” 

During a busy day in the Westerville shop last week, a half dozen volunteers sewed on personalized tags, folded blankets and cut strips of fleece for the no-sew kits that the group sells. The kits, sold for $10, are increasingly popular with area businesses, schools, churches and other groups. Jonica Graves arrived to pick up blankets to put in bags provided by My Comfy Kits, which is overseen by the local Orphan World Relief. The bags also include children’s books, night lights, pajamas and other items a child entering foster care might need.

At the same time, Pamela Braddy, activity therapy administrator at the Pickaway Correctional Institution, dropped off homemade quilts from prisoners. My Very Own Blanket partners with several area prisons to both provide inmates with a purpose and help further its mission. It does the same, Rudolph said, with agencies that serve senior citizens or adults with developmental disabilities.

 The reach of My Very Own Blanket has expanded nationwide since its humble beginnings. To date, it has sent blankets to two dozen states and designated blanket coordinators throughout the country to do similar work in other cities.

 Rudolph’s tireless effort, stemming from her love of her own children, remains as strong as ever. “What better job to have than giving love to kids?” she said. “And what better way to do it than through a blanket?”

Turner Foster Care Housing Bill Gets Hearing

by Mike Turner on April 18, 2018 at 1:44 PM

The Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act will increase access to housing for youth aging out of foster care, without increasing federal spending

My Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act had a hearing yesterday by the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.

I am thrilled this bill is getting momentum and moving through the legislative process in the House. Right now, we have a situation of government created homelessness when foster care youths age out of the system but have few resources to find safe, stable housing. My bill is a commonsense fix with no additional cost to the federal government that will mean a world of impact for these kids. It’s time to pass this bill.

“While meeting with foster youth directly, Mr. Turner of Ohio immediately seized upon something that continues to be ignored or missed entirely by policymakers and advocates alike: the housing instability faced by former foster youth is entirely predictable – but systems fail time and time again to work together to close the obvious gaps through which so many youth are destined to fall into homelessness,” testified Ruth White, Executive Director of the National Center for Housing & Child Welfare. “Mr. Turner termed this phenomenon, ‘government created homelessness.’ Together with the youth, Hill staff crafted the straight-forward, yet sophisticated solution offered in this bill.”

“The Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act is a commonsense solution to help kids, who have aged out of the system, succeed and I thank Mike for his work on this important bill,” said Rep. Rodney Davis, Chairman of the Republican Main Street Caucus. “Mike’s bill is one that the Republican Main Street Caucus has identified as legislation that helps further our mission which is making our government work for the people we serve. I fully support this bill and will continue do what I can to help Mike get it to the House floor for a vote.”

You can watch the full hearing here.

Columbus Dispatch Editorial: Find a way to keep jobs program

Find A Way to Keep Jobs Program
July 12, 2016
As the late Gov. James Rhodes was fond of saying, many of society’s ills could be cured by jobs. Employment inculcates responsibility, encourages ambition, fosters self-esteem and provides a paycheck to raise a family or, for working kids, to save for college.

So the current occupant of Rhodes’ office, Gov. John Kasich, should reconsider his administration’s plans that could make it harder for young people to find summer jobs next year.

The state plans to shift $46 million from its wage-subsidized summer employment program that provides thousands of young people, ages 14 to 24, with real-world experience and a paycheck. Instead, the state is creating a year-round program that provides case-management, training and employment services for struggling young people.

That sounds great, but it will mean cutting out 14- and 15-year-olds, since the new program serves only those older than 16. Many of those in the program are foster youths or are involved in the juvenile-justice system. They not only desperately need to develop work skills, but they benefit from mentors at their workplaces. And the references and experience they gain at their first jobs, typically the hardest to land, opens the door to future employment.

Surely, the state can find a way to do both; social-service advocates say the state has about $150 million in surplus welfare money that could be used to continue the summer program.

Taking away these opportunities for young people and leaving them to hang out on the street on hot summer days just doesn’t make sense. The Kasich administration should reconsider.

Way to go, Nicole Chinn

Two Columbus State students spoke to a U.S. Department of Education event, sharing their perspectives as former foster youth who made the jump to college.

Deanna Howell-Dawson and Nicole Chinn participated in the department's Foster Care Student Voices Session in Washington D.C. on May 25, giving their input as the department seeks new ways to help foster youth succeed. The department is seeking input as it implements the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which replaced the No Child Left Behind law in 2015.

"It was so empowering meeting and hearing other foster youth and alumni voices who also share my story. They impacted me by encouraging me to make it and succeed too," said Howell-Dawson.

Kimberly Rhyan, a former foster youth and Columbus State's director of Student Engagement and Leadership, also served on an alumni panel and shared advice about college and career advancement.

The Education Department also released the Foster Care Transition Toolkit. The Toolkit includes tips and resources intended to help foster youth access and navigate social, emotional, educational and skills barriers as they transition into adulthood. Download the Foster Care Transition Toolkit.

More than 350 Columbus State students are former foster youth, and Columbus State is becoming a national model for supporting them, according to Rhyan.

The college recently launched the Scholar Network, which provides a three-day conference, ongoing mentoring, monthly "lunch and learn" workshops, and other support. The project is funded by Ohio Reach, Ohio Attorney General Mike Dewine and Columbus State's Student Success Innovation Fund.

Isabel Soto, of the department's Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, thanked the Columbus State delegation for sharing their stories.

"Our work will benefit from the discussion the alumni had with the students yesterday and as a result of all they (Nicole and Deanna) shared with the department during the session," Soto said.

Jamole Callahan and Jermaine Ferguson represent ACTION Ohio at HB 50 bill signing

Kasich signs foster-care extension law 
Price, Rita. Columbus Dispatch,June 14, 2016

Former foster youths Jermaine Ferguson, left, and Jamole Callahan, right, talk before John Kasich signs House Bill 50, which extends foster-care eligibility to age 21. 

Hundreds of Ohio's most traumatized and vulnerable teens should soon have the chance to tap into a few more years of support before they have to make it on their own.

Gov. John Kasich signed a bill into law Monday that extends foster-care eligibility to age 21, adding Ohio to the growing number of states that have decided teens shouldn't automatically age out of the system when they turn 18.

More than 1,000 Ohio foster youths exit foster care each year after their 18th birthdays, with many quickly falling into poverty and homelessness, early parenthood or legal trouble.

"There's a lot of dismal statistics," said Worthington resident Jamole Callahan, who spent six years in foster care. "But we can help improve outcomes for these youths who are aging out. I'm elated."

The Ohio Association of Child Caring Agencies and other advocates worked for three years to secure the change, which gives foster youths the option of deciding whether they want additional guidance and assistance as they transition to adulthood. It also applies to teens who are adopted after age 16.

"Many of them really need a plan, not a program," said Sean Reilly, executive director of UMCH Family Services. "They need a plan that is comprehensive and that talks about their housing needs, school needs, trades — whatever that might be. And it needs to include a recognition and supports for what they've been through in their lives."

The law takes effect in 90 days and provides $550,000 for Ohio Department of Job and Family Services to gather recommendations and develop a plan. Implementation is expected in about 18 months, with funding to be determined in the next budget. First-year costs for the state, not including federal foster money, are estimated at about $9.7 million.

"I will be ever-vigilant about this law," said state Rep. Dorothy Pelanda, R-Marysville, who introduced the bill along with Republican Rep. Cheryl Grossman of Grove City. "We need to advocate and remind legislators and, of course, the administration. The most important thing will be the funding in the next budget."

Kasich did not sign the bill in public but spoke at length with Callahan, 36, and East Side resident Jermaine Ferguson, 25, who was featured in a recent Dispatch story.

Ferguson and his siblings suffered horrific abuse in Clark and Union counties after they were adopted from foster care as infants and young children. After their adoptive parents were arrested, the children were separated and scattered to different foster homes with varying degrees of support.

"It's sad when you see your sister and you want to help, and there's not even a house for her," Jermaine said of his 20-year-old sibling, who has struggled after aging out of foster care. "I get it; there are funding and other issues. But you're asking kids who are weak financially and emotionally to just move on. It's too much."

The law signed Monday also includes a provision aimed at improving protections for some 67,000 wards who are under court-appointed guardianship. It requires clerks of Ohio's probate courts to give new and current guardians a copy of the guardianship guide that explains the rights of wards. The guardianship part of the law was prompted by a 2014 Dispatch investigation that uncovered abuses and problems in that system.

Melissa Stroud receives Ashtabula County Children Services Board's Rising Up and Moving On award

ASHTABULA — Last year, the county Children Services Board received 2,533 reports of suspected child abuse or neglect, and case workers screened an average of 70 new cases per month. In 2015, the average number of children in out-of-home care was 146, according to the board. 

Melissa Stroud, 17, the board’s “Rising Up and Moving On” awardee, said years ago, she’d never believe her current success. The Austintown Fitch junior said she realized although the county’s case workers and foster parents helped her get where she is today, others aren’t so fortunate.

In 2014, Stroud worked to form the region’s Northeast Ohio Youth Advisory Board, a partner board between Ashtabula, Lake and Geauga counties which works to promote change in the foster care system, from the child’s perspective. At the NEOYAB quarterly meeting in Columbus, Stroud was named treasurer of the state board and media spokesperson.

She’ll be featured on Wednesday’s edition of WYTV’s “Hometown Heroes” segment.

Austintown Fitch is proud of Melissa Stroud

Austintown Fitch Junior, Melissa Stroud, is the true representation of what it means to “overcome the odds.”  Melissa is a student currently in the foster care system having been taken in by an Austintown family this year. Prior to being placed with a family, Melissa was in a youth group home where she was elected into office by a group of her peers to serve as the media spokesperson for the Ohio Youth Advisory Board.

 Melissa was chosen for this opportunity due to her leadership skills, maturity, and strong sense of responsibility.

The Overcoming Hurdles in Ohio Youth Advisory Board is an organization of young people (14-24) who have experienced foster care. It exists to be the knowledgeable statewide voice that influences policies and practices that affect all youth who have or will experience out-of-home care.

Sunday, March 13th through Thursday, March 17th Melissa participated in Three Days on the Hill, which is an annual educational trip to Washington D.C. designed to provide foster care youth and alumni with opportunities to further their leadership development. Only 6 youth from the state were able to participate, and Stroud was placed on the short list of pre-approved attendees.

During the trip Melissa participated in a full day of training along with a meeting at the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) headquarters. In addition, she also attended a meeting with 15 different legislators to discuss how to end the foster care to homeless pipeline, and how to effectively prepare youth in foster care to build successful adult lives. Lisa Dickson, Communications Chair at ACTION Ohio, says she took the training very seriously and excelled during meetings.

After a long week of representing the Ohio Youth Advisory board, Melissa returned to school Friday, March 18th, for yet another major accomplishment; she came back from D.C just in time to be inducted into the Austintown Fitch National Honor Society (NHS)! Students selected for NHS are voted in by their teachers for demonstrating excellence in scholarship, service, leadership, and character. Junior Principal, David Purins said, “It was wonderful to see her walk onto that stage as a member of this prestigious organization.”

Melissa Stroud, Hometown Hero

Hometown Hero: Austintown student overcomes odds

Melissa Stroud grew up in the foster care system, but that didn't stop her from excelling in her academics and work in the community

By Katie DuganWYTV, April 20, 2016, 4:20 pm  

AUSTINTOWN, Ohio (WYTV) – Melissa Stroud is a junior at Austintown Fitch High School. She has been in foster care for the majority of her life and has been moved around for much of it — from foster homes to group homes, eventually landing here in the Youngstown area with her foster mother, Lori.

Stroud’s high school assistant principal calls her a success story, because she has overcome all odds.

She is on the Northeast Ohio Youth Advisory Board and was elected media spokesperson for the Ohio Youth Advisory Board. She recently went on a trip to Washington D.C. to advocate for foster youth. And, she was recently inducted into the National Honor Society.

“Her class has over 450 students in it, and for her to be recognized as one of the students that excels academically, socially, her character, her commitment to the community and community service all really speaks volumes about who Melissa is as a young person,” said Austintown Fitch High School Assistant Principal David Purins.

Stroud says her work with foster care organizations has really helped her find her place.

“Everybody always asks me what I want to do when I get older, where do I see myself in five years. I never really knew. But advocating for foster youth, it’s something that’s really close to home and something I’m very passionate about, and I’m really good at helping people,” she said.

Stroud also has two jobs and is a tutor. She said she plans to continue helping others and working hard on her studies.

It is for these reasons that Stroud was named this week’s Hometown Hero.

Proud of Janel Lanae ~ and grateful for the OSU Young Scholars Program

COLLEGE GAME PLAN

 

MAY 17 2016, 3:43 PM ET

Not 'Just Another Teen Mom':
Foster Child Graduates College, Debt-Free

by ALLISON SLATER TATE

An Ohio mother who gave birth at just 15 years old has overcome all odds and graduated college — without even a penny of debt.

Only half of all teen moms receive their high school diploma, never mind their college degree, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At 23, Janel Lanae of Columbus has both — and she credits her success in the face of adversity to the academic support she got from an early age.

"My greatest joy has always been my education," she told NBC News.

Lanae grew up in an abusive home in Dayton, Ohio, but maintained a straight-A average, she said. When she was in fifth grade, her teacher nominated her for the Ohio State University's Young Scholars Program, which aims to increase diversity at OSU and improve degree completion among academically talented, low-income, first-generation students.

Together with her teacher, Lanae completed the necessary essay and somehow convinced her mother, who struggled with alcohol and substance abuse at the time, to come to school to sign the application.

Janel Lanae, a teen mom who grew up in an abusive home, overcame all odds and graduated college this year, debt-free. She's seen with her daughter Malena, 7. Courtesy of Janel Lanae

But life kept handing her more challenges: After living with her troubled older sister for a time in middle school, Lanae entered the foster care system at 14, and was pregnant a year later. Her daughter, Malena, is now seven years old.

To stay in the Young Scholars Program, she was required to maintain above a 3.3 grade-point average, plus participate in mandatory meetings every two weeks, as well as attend sessions at OSU.

That became difficult for Lanae, who went through nine foster care homes plus a group home throughout high school. "Nobody wanted me there while I was pregnant," she said.

Despite attending eight different high schools and living in four different cities, Lanae knew she had to get back to Dayton every two weeks for her mandatory meetings.

Part of what drove her was the reward for students who meet the program's criteria: financial aid packages consisting of federal and state grants, work-study, and the Young Scholars scholarship. The need-based award meets 100 percent of the students' demonstrated financial need for eight semesters as long as they maintain their academic achievement once at OSU, program directors told NBC News.

With help from the program's Dayton coordinator, Janeisha Finch, and a caseworker, Annie Williams, Lanae only missed two or three meetings through all the upheaval.

"My foster parents were never willing to drive me back to Dayton two hours back and forth," Lanae said. "Other caseworkers didn't care. But Annie would come pick me up, wait for me, take me to get food afterwards because she knew I hadn't had anything to eat, and watch my daughter while I was in the meeting. She went above and beyond for me, and she's the reason I majored in social work at OSU."

Lanae also worked hard to keep her daughter. "I kept her in every single home that I went to, which is very rare," she said. "I had jobs. I put her in daycare with my own money."

After she turned 18, Lanae emancipated from the foster care system, loaded up a U-Haul, and moved to Columbus with her daughter to begin OSU. Because she attended college through the Young Scholars Program, her aid package paid for her studies. Lanae paid for basic housing needs, her car, and Malena.

I got my OSU Young Scholars academic scholarship in the 5th grade. "Full ride to THE Ohio State University" is what she called it. I didn't even know what that was. Ohio what?!! When i finally figured it out, I was thrown into foster care, and got pregnant at 14 yrs old right after that. 9 foster homes, 8 high schools, 4 cities, and a baby later, i just KNEW I would lose everything i worked so hard for. Right before i was about to graduate from high school and emancipate from foster care, my mother took her last breath, and I died right there with her. What more could I handle at 18??!!! I definitely didn't think I was going to make it to college much less graduate, and neither did most of the people I knew when I first came to college 5 looooooong years ago. Breakdown after breakdown. Failure after failure. Even a couple of suicide attempts. Fell apart in prayer, switched up my mindset, joined the OSU ACCESS Collaborative Program & got better friends, and BOOM! ! You're looking at a first generation, teen mom from foster care, who just got her 100% FREE DEGREE from THE Ohio State University!! So when they say you can't do it, well, you know my answer to that! !‪#‎madeit‬ ‪#‎osu‬ ‪#‎THEOhioStateUniversity‬‪#‎socialwork‬ ‪#‎accesscollaborativeprogram‬‪#‎graduate‬ ‪#‎may‬ ‪#‎is‬ ‪#‎nationalfostercaremonth‬‪#‎celebrate‬ ‪#‎foster‬ ‪#‎youth‬

Now she plans to take on the world. 

"I plan to infiltrate the foster care system," she said. "I don't want a typical job, but I have a lot of great ideas I want to put in place for girls in foster care — feed their self-esteem, feed their self-worth, help them truly be prepared for this world, especially if they want to go to college." 

Lanae is an inspiration to the people who once helped her. 

Whenever I'm asked what motivates me, I say people who overcome their adversities and, despite them all, become successful," Finch, Lanae's program director, told NBC News.

"They never let their circumstances be the end of their story, and Janel is the epitome of that statement."

 Finch watched Lanae struggle, but she said, "I've never seen her faith waiver. She is and will be an inspiration to other young ladies who may be at a place where they are saying 'I can't,' but her story is a testament that they can."

Lanae graduated seventh in her high school class and was a member of the National Honor Society, and says the Young Scholars Program kept her accountable.

"Nobody else cared about my education. I had no other consequence if I dropped out and was just another teen mom. But the program cared."

Without it, she added, "I would have nothing. I never even thought about college," she said, "but this program made it a priority for me."

ACTION Ohio hosts first SE Ohio conference for foster care youth, ages 14+

OHIO Reach Scholars Program highlighted during conference for Southeastern Ohio foster care youth

May 16, 2016
By George E. Mauzy Jr.

Ohio University’s OHIO Reach Scholars Program played a major part in the inaugural Reaching for Success Conference for Southeastern Ohio foster care youth hosted by Foster ACTION Ohio on Saturday, May 14, in the Schoonover Center for Communication on the Athens Campus.

The event welcomed 20 foster care youth from southern Ohio ages 14 and up to campus to learn more about pursuing a college degree after high school.

(L-R): Michael Outrich, Kim Reynolds and Monique Callahan speak to the 20 attendees at the Reaching for Success Youth Conference  Photographer: George E. Mauzy Jr.

According to its website, ACTION (Alumni of Care Together Improving Outcomes Now ) Ohio is dedicated to improving outcomes for current and former foster care youth by bringing together the voices of youth, alumni and allies to create lasting change and generate hope for the children based on access to resources, ally support and alumni expertise.

Lisa Dickson, a former foster care youth who serves as the communications chair for Foster ACTION Ohio, said the goal of Saturday’s event was to give Southeast Ohio youth their own conference because they deserve it after being overlooked for a long time.

“Other counties and regions around the state have had these foster care youth conferences, but because the youth in Southeast Ohio are more spread apart and there are less per county, they haven’t had one,” Dickson said. “So the result is that they often feel very alone. The vision for today is to make the youth feel more connected to each other, more connected to their community and know that they can succeed in higher education.”

Lisa Dickson (left) and Doris Edelmann (right) sort through the ties at the Suits for Success area

Photographer: George E. Mauzy Jr.

During the six-hour program, the students heard testimonials from current and former OHIO Reach Scholars and attended workshops to learn more about interviewing for a job, applying for financial aid, time management and budgeting.

Michael Outrich, a 2016 Ohio University graduate and former OHIO Reach Scholar, spoke to the attendees about some of the things that they will experience in college that may be unique to them as a foster care child.

Outrich was one of three upperclassmen who served in a mentoring role for the inaugural OHIO Reach Scholars freshmen cohort. The Cleveland area native will pursue his master’s degree at Ohio State University in the fall, but will continue to serve as a volunteer consultant to the program.

“This event focused on college prep and some of the independent living skills they may need upon emancipation,” Outrich said. “We’re starting to inform them a little earlier instead of after they turn 18. I told them about my experiences and the logistics of the OHIO Reach Scholars Program, and I’m excited to see the program extend downward to the younger generations. The earlier the better.”

The OHIO Reach Scholars Program was created largely as a result of the research work of Jacob Okumu, Ohio University coordinator for student outreach and developmental servicesdoctoral research work.

Okumu said he was happy to learn that all 11 of the students in the first-year OHIO Reach Scholars Program did well academically this year and plan to return to campus in the fall.

One of the OHIO Reach first-year scholars who came to the event to share her testimony and answer questions was rising sophomore Monique Callahan, a sophomore speech pathology major from Cleveland.

“I talked about my first-year experiences and told them that I enjoyed being in the program so much that I didn’t want to leave Athens for the summer,” Callahan said. “I really enjoyed meeting new people who were in foster care like me.”

Jamole Callahan (left) and Doris Edelmann (right) hold ties up to Michael Outrich at the Reaching for Success Youth Conference

Photographer: George E. Mauzy Jr.

Foster care alumnus Jamole Callahan heads up training and development for ACTION Ohio in Columbus and also is on the state’s OHIO Reach board. He said only three other Ohio colleges have Reach programs: Cuyahoga Community College, Columbus State Community College and Central State University.

“I’m here to help facilitate the conference and inspire the youth,” Jamole Callahan said. “We (Foster ACTION Ohio) said we have to do something for the youth in this area. Our goal is for them to pursue a higher education degree, and we want to be there to support them as they transition to college.”

Jamole Callahan also helps coordinate the Suits for Success initiative which allowed the foster care youth to choose from donated clothing so that they have professional clothes to wear to work, school and job interviews. The clothing is primarily donated by Ohio State Bar Association members.

“If the students find something they like, we bag it up and they take it,” Jamole Callahan said. “That also includes shoes, bags and accessories in addition to the clothing.”

Doris Edelmann, the legislative liaison for ACTION Ohio, said national statistics suggest that only 2.5 percent of foster care youth graduate from college, however, she said the state of Ohio’s numbers are above the national average.

“Other schools are graduating multiple students, and we know that Ohio University graduated at least two this year,” Edelmann said.

Kim Reynolds, a rising senior from Cincinnati who serves as an OHIO Reach peer mentor for OMSAR, said she was lucky to have such an important position on campus that allowed her to work with six first-year OHIO Reach Scholars the past academic year.

“Since it was a new program, we (peer mentors) had the freedom and liberty to define it,” Reynolds said. “Fortunately it came out very joyful, familial and communal and we all became very close. Everyone was happy to be a part of it, especially the scholars who were amongst people who share the same story and background.” 

One of the conference’s attendees was rising high school senior Schiann from Athens County. She said the event allowed her to get more of a foundation that will prepare her to attend Ohio University after she graduates high school in 2017.

“I plan on attending Ohio University to major in business,” she said. “Hearing from the current OHIO Reach Scholars was inspiring because they gave us a lot of information and told us about their trip to Jamaica last year with the OMSAR staff. I hope to go there with them when I’m a student here.”

The state’s Ohio Reach Program aims to improve post-secondary outcomes for foster care youth and alumni through leadership, empowerment, advocacy, research and networking (L.E.A.R.N.). Part of how it accomplishes this goal is through Ohio Reach campus liaisons like the OHIO Reach Scholars Program at Ohio University. 

For more information about the statewide Ohio Reach initiative, visit http://www.pcsao.org/programs/ohio-reach.

Way to go, Allissa Mitchell -- OHIO YAB President

• Foster kids rising: Teens honored for overcoming the odds

Two Stark County teens, both former foster children, have been recognized as “Rising Stars” by the Public Children Services Association of Ohio. Eighteen-year-olds Allissa Mitchell and Dayree Stokes were among four recently emancipated teens in the state to receive the honor.

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   Zoom

  CantonRep.com/Scott Heckel |
  

  Allissa Mitchell, 18, is stumping for passage of Ohio House Bill 50. The bill extends benefits for foster children from the current cutoff age of 18 to 21.
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  By Tim Botos
  CantonRep.com staff writer 
  

  
  Posted Nov. 21, 2015 at 9:00 AM
  Updated Nov 21, 2015 at 9:26 PM 
  
  
  

  Two Stark County teens, both former foster children, have been recognized as “Rising Stars” by the Public Children Services Association of Ohio.

  Eighteen-year-olds Allissa Mitchell and Dayree Stokes were among four recently emancipated teens in the state to receive the honor. They were lauded for overcoming adversity to put themselves in position to be successful adults, despite the fact foster children are at greater risk for such problems as homelessness and incarceration.

  “That was a really good day,” Mitchell said, recalling the awards luncheon in Columbus.

  Mitchell entered foster care at age 16. She spent a year in one foster home and a year in a second. She graduated this year from Massillon Washington High, where she played drums for the concert and marching bands and sang in the choir. Today, she lives in an apartment with her brother and a friend. Along the way, she was among a group to testify on Capitol Hill about a proposed federal supportive housing program for former foster children similar to Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing.

  “Allissa is a hard worker ... she has a lot of goals,” said Julie Willis, an independent-living specialist who works with children 14 and older for the Stark County Department of Job & Family Services.

  Mitchell has landed a job at Adolescent Behavioral Health in Canton, where she works with children who have suffered emotional and physical abuse. In fact, she already has received one promotion.

  “They actually recruited her from a camp we had,” Willis said.

  Mitchell hasn’t seen her mother in two years.

  “It’s sad, really ... I love my mom,” she said. “But I had to get myself out of the self-pity.”

  As a member of the Stark County Youth Advisory Board, and president of a similar state board, Mitchell has stumped for improved foster-child benefits. And she keeps a close eye on Ohio House Bill 50 and the pending Ohio Senate Bill 240 that would extend benefits to foster children through age 21.

  The Ohio Fostering Connections initiative has been in the works for more than six years. The goal is to tap into federal funds available through the Fostering Connection to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 to help defray the additional costs; 26 other states have, or will implement, similar programs.

  “I know a lot of people who are couch-surfing,” Mitchell said, referring to friends with no permanent home.

  Mitchell and Stokes are among the 3,000 Ohioans who came through foster care and now are between the ages of 18 and 21. Some children who leave foster care at age 18 have nowhere to go.

  That’s not to say they receive no benefits. They are eligible for a medical card until age 26, and can qualify for more than $10,000 a year in college tuition grants. However, not every county in Ohio handles emancipated children, and their benefits, in exactly the same manner.

  “There are 88 different ways to do things,” Willis said.

  Stokes, the other local teen honored by PCSAO, was placed, along with her own infant daughter, in a foster home a year ago. Faced with the potential of losing her child, Stokes landed a job at a restaurant and found housing.

  She plans to attend Stark State College to study culinary arts, with hopes of one day owning her own restaurant.