Fierce. Independent. Hard-working. These are just a few words that describe, Brooke, a young woman in Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation’s Keys to Success (KTS) program. What she wanted from the program was a little help getting to the next level. What she got was so much more.
A Good Start
When she enrolled in KTS, Brooke, 20, already lived on her own and worked full time in the tourism industry. She’d even been promoted twice at work and had already completed a community college course. She wanted to take the Fast Track classes at Yavapai College, but she wasn’t sure about how to get enrolled. Her KTS career development specialist (CDS) helped her select her classes and enroll in them.
Understanding Financial Literacy
Knowing that Brooke lived on her own, her CDS referred her to AFFCF’s Keys to Financial Success, a course that teaches basic financial literacy skills to youth aging out of foster care. She did well in the course and in a short amount of time, managed to save enough money to qualify for the $3,000 car match from AFFCF to help her buy a car.
Brooke didn’t know the first thing about buying a car, so her CDS again jumped into action to connect Brooke with a car coach. The coach helped her understand the ins and outs of car buying so she could make the best choice for herself. She recently purchased a car – with good timing because the car she had was beginning to have a lot of problems.
A Bump in the Road
Things were going great until Brook ran into a roadblock. When her classes and full-time job became too overwhelming, she made a hard decision to withdraw from classes to allow her to gain control. She promised herself that she would return – with the help of her career development specialist, she recently began the Fall 2024 semester at Yavapai College where she is studying hospitality.
During this time, Brooke had to move to a new apartment. But she needed a couch and kitchen table for her new place and couldn’t afford the extra expense on her own. Through AFFCF’s partnership with Mercy C.A.R.E.S., the KTS housing and resource specialist was able to help her get these items without breaking her budget.
The Next Level
Brooke is thriving, with the help of the Keys to Success program! Having learned to balance school and full-time work, she is one step closer to that next level. This driven young woman recently received another job promotion and was named Employee of the Month!
Invaluable Support
Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation’s Keys to Success program is designed specifically to help young people ages 16 to 26 who are transitioning out of foster care receive the career, education, employment development and life skills services they need to achieve personal and financial liberty. KTS staff deliver individualized services in the community based on the youth’s availability, making it an invaluable one-of-a-kind program.
Help young people in foster care face the challenges of aging out of foster care head on by donating to AFFCF. Doing so not only contributes to positive outcomes for this underserved population, but also gives you a dollar-for-dollar credit on your Arizona state taxes, up to $1,173 for couples and $587 for individuals. Give today!