Foundation awards $100K for foster care youth in N.C.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A national nonprofit supporting families, children and young adults facing serious obstacles is receiving a major boost in the south. 

Youth Villages is a leader in mental and behavioral health services, working to help young people overcome obstacles through direct services, partnerships and advocacy.  

The Youth Villages in North Carolina location is being awarded a $100,000 grant from the Joey Logano Foundation. The foundation was started by the NASCAR champion Joey Logano to provide second chances to children and young adults during times of crisis, particularly those involved in the foster care system.

“We want to see youth who have been through the foster care system have a healthy chance at living independently and embarking on a path to a bright future,” Brittany Logano, founding vice chairman of the Joey Logano Foundation and wife of Joey Logano, said in a press release.

“That is exactly what they receive with Youth Villages’ Scholars program. It is wonderful to hear success stories from Scholars who were raised in the system and defeated all odds to take on their dreams of going to college or a trade school, graduating and creating a joyful life for themselves,” she said.

Erica Ellis is director of development for Youth Villages in North Carolina. 

Ellis said the $100,000 grant will further strengthen and expand the LifeSet and Scholars offerings for youth in need of services. 

LifeSet is designed to help young people successfully transition from foster care to adulthood. 

Through one-on-one support, LifeSet specialists work with participants to achieve secure safe housing, build healthy relationships and meet education and employment goals. 

The Youth Villages Scholars initiative builds on that model by offering additional assistance to LifeSet participants enrolled in postsecondary education or vocational training. 

Scholars receive monthly stipends, technology, school supplies and other essential resources, as well as support from dedicated staff and mentors.

“One hundred thousand dollars will go a long way with helping ensure we can maintain those stipends and also maintain the staff we have, the support systems,” Ellis said.

Last year, Youth Villages served over 800 young adults through LifeSet in North Carolina with more than 40 students participating in the Scholars program. 

Ellis said the data shows, many of those young adults need direct support services.   

“Nationwide, only about 13% of young adults who age out of the foster care system will reach their secondary educational goals,” Ellis said.

But Youth Villages reports around 48% of its scholars complete their degrees, which Ellis said highlights the impact of providing young people consistent, long-term support.

“Once they go into those institutions, a lot of times they can face a lot of barriers, whether that be mental health issues, not being able to afford books or not knowing how to advocate for themselves on campus,” Ellis said.

“Our Scholars initiative came out of how do we provide [a] support system that a lot of us take for granted because we had a family,” Ellis said. “We are their family, their support system, all the way through their secondary education.” 

One of the students benefiting from the program is Leo Ma, a 19-year-old studying supply chain management at UNC Charlotte. 

“I know Charlotte is also the second biggest banking city after New York, so I thought it would be good for business,” Ma said. 

Ma said at age 16, he navigated through the foster care system after the Department of Social Services took custody. 

“I knew then if I wanted to be successful, I would have to strategize and take advantage of every opportunity,” Ma said. 

After aging out of foster care, Ma said he secured a full ride scholarship from NC Reach.

The Charlotte 49er later connected with Youth Villages, which he credits for supporting his academic pursuits and navigating housing and other needs that often arise for higher education students.

“Creating a plan for housing during the academic breaks. I think that’s something that could have easily turned into a crisis, but instead, we were able to create a plan early on,” Ma said. 

“I think it’s very important to have programs that extend into the adult life of someone who ages out of foster care. Programs like LifeSet that have clear incentives related to education and employment, that allows foster youth to act upon their own free will and create their own future instead of being left out to dry after they age out,” Ma said. 

Since partnering with Youth Villages in 2016, the Joey Logano Foundation has now contributed over $900,000 to support foster youth in North Carolina. 

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