Blog Archives

Raising Awareness: Sarah Experienced the Foster Care System and a Thriving Adulthood

Posted on May 4, 2021 by Nebraska Children — Leave a comment

This May, as we recognize Foster Care Awareness Month, we bring you Sarah’s story. As an organization that envisions all children, youth, and families thriving, we love to share stories like these. A young mother whose resiliency enabled her to push through life challenges as well as the pandemic, Sarah has been a state ward for, in her words, “as long as she can remember.”

Read more about how Sarah utilized her resolve and a Connected Youth Initiative program to transition into a thriving adulthood.

Tagged with: (Re)Connecting Youth, connected youth initiative, Connected Youth Initiatve, foster care, Foster Care Awareness Month, foster care system, foster youth, jim casey, jim casey youth opportunities initiative, Opportunity Passport, project everlast, Project Everlast Lincoln, Project Everlast Omaha, young parents
Posted in News and Events, Systems, Teen/Early Adulthood

Kloreace’s Story: Opportunity Passport, Commitment, and Work Ethic Take Her Home

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Nebraska Children — 1 Comment

At 25 years old, Kloreace thought big and dreamt bigger. Six months after enrolling in Opportunity Passport™, she bought a house! A passionate school psychologist, she possesses many talents: she’s intelligent, driven, and compassionate. She’s also an advocate for the Opportunity Passport ™ program.

At 25 years old, Kloreace thought big and dreamed bigger. Six months after enrolling in Opportunity Passport™, she bought a house! A passionate school psychologist, she possesses many talents: she’s intelligent, driven, and compassionate. She’s also an advocate for the Opportunity Passport ™ program, which we oversee along with Community Action Partnership of Lancaster and Saunders Counties.

Tagged with: connected youth initiative, Connected Youth Initiatve, foster care, foster youth, Opportunity Passport, project everlast, Project Everlast Lincoln, Project Everlast Omaha
Posted in News and Events, Systems, Teen/Early Adulthood

Connected Youth Initiative: Kevin, a Motivated Young Man, Arrives at Success, Thanks to His Determination and a Little Help from Opportunity Passport

Posted on May 27, 2020 by Nebraska Children — Leave a comment

Kevin has been a participant in Opportunity Passport™ for over three years. He speaks three languages, plans to attend college, continues to demonstrate financial self-sufficiency. Given these skills, he’s already created a solid foundation but has built on these existing talents. Read more to see how he accomplished his goals!

Resources for Unconnected Youth: Connected Youth Initiative Grants Hope During an unsettling time, our communities and youth with foster care experience matter. Despite these challenges, positive changes are happening every day both here at Nebraska Children and Families Foundation and in the communities in which we work. We’ve seen…

Tagged with: connected youth initiative, Connected Youth Initiatve, foster care, Foster Care Awareness Month, jim casey youth opportunities initiative, Opportunity Passport, resilience
Posted in News and Events, Systems, Teen/Early Adulthood

Connected Youth Initiative Completes Rigorous, Independent SIF Evaluation

Posted on March 2, 2020 by Nebraska Children — 1 Comment

In 2015, the Corporation for National and Community Service awarded a Social Innovation Fund (SIF) grant to Nebraska Children and Families Foundation. The grant was used to expand our successful Connected Youth Initiative (CYI) model to rural communities across the state to help unconnected youth, including young people aging out of foster care, to become thriving citizens. We are energized to see that participation in CYI may be associated with some successful outcomes. We’ll explain all of that and more.

Tagged with: connected youth initiative, Connected Youth Initiatve, foster care, foster youth, Opportunity Passport, youth council
Posted in News and Events, Systems, Teen/Early Adulthood

Former Foster Youth and Connected Youth Initiative Participant Gains Financial Empowerment, Dental Care, and Reason to Smile

Posted on January 22, 2020 by Nebraska Children — 1 Comment

Sheri's name has been changed, but her success is very real

A young. single mother with foster care experience, Sheri knew she was capable of finding a job but needed extensive dental work. Through her determination, Connected Youth Initiative participation, read more about this young woman’s success story…and smile.

Tagged with: Connected Youth Initiatve, foster care, foster youth, jim casey youth opportunities initiative, Opportunity Passport, project everlast, Project Everlast Lincoln, Project Everlast Omaha
Posted in News and Events, Teen/Early Adulthood

Lift Up Sarpy County launches 100-Day Challenge

Posted on March 9, 2018 by Nebraska Children — 1 Comment

144,000 minutes, 2,400 hours, 100 days: that’s the amount of time that it can take to drastically transform the lives of vulnerable young people or families. The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative is committed to providing…