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August Newsletter | Our Standards: Led by Youth, Guided by Experience
Foster Greatness August Newsletter | Lifelong Relationships & Community
Isabel Stasa
August 04, 2025
Every month, we’ll be sharing community updates that include insights from our Thriver Stories, thoughts from Panel Discussions and our Theme Release for the month!
August 2025
Lifelong Relationships & Community
Hi FG Member!
Wow, what a month of truth-telling and healing July was! From the raw wisdom shared in our "What I Wish I Knew" panel to the heartfelt letters we wrote to our younger selves, we dug deep—but we didn’t do it alone. 💌✨ July brought us closer to each other and to ourselves. Now, as we step into August, we’re turning our focus to something just as powerful: lifelong relationships and unshakable community. Let’s be real—foster care can leave you feeling like connections are temporary, but we’re rewriting that story together. At the heart of everything Foster Greatness does is one fundamental belief: connection, community, and compassion are essential to creating lasting impact. This month, we’re doubling down on belonging, because no one should ever wonder, "Who’s got my back?" Spoiler: We do. And we’re building a family that sticks—through every win, wobble, and wild ride. 🤝💛
July was all about passing the mic to lived experience and creating spaces for reflection, growth, and opportunity! From the hard-hitting truths shared in our "What I Wish I Knew Before Aging Out" alumni panel to the cathartic "Dear Younger Me" letter writing social, we honored the past while paving new paths forward—like our Direct Employment Pipeline info session with Staffmark that opened doors to brighter futures. Every conversation, every scribbled letter, and every resume tip exchanged was a reminder: our community’s strength lies in its stories and solidarity. Now, let’s take a proud look back at these transformative moments!
🎤 "What I Wish I Knew Before Aging Out" Alumni Panel Former foster youth dropped truth and lifelines in this raw, real talk session—answering the questions many of us have when aging out. 💥 This was the survival guide we all wish we’d had! |
 | 💌 "Dear Younger Me" Letter Writing Social Tissues optional, heart required. ✨ This virtual hug of an event let us speak love to our past selves—turning pain into power, one handwritten line at a time. |
 | 💼 Direct Employment Pipeline Info Session with Staffmark No more "figuring it out alone"! 🚀 We broke down how to land jobs with living wages, proving foster youth deserve—and get—career wins on their terms. Watch our Info Session for a walk through of our Direct Employment Pipeline Program and how to get started. |
 Foster Greatness has been life-changing for both me and my son. Before joining this community, I often felt like I was navigating healing, parenting, and life’s challenges on my own. But from the moment I connected with Foster Greatness, I felt something I hadn’t felt in a long time: seen, heard, and understood. There’s something incredibly powerful about being surrounded by people who just get it who’ve walked through the same fire and still show up with love, strength, and grace. Taylor Rockhold |  Foster Greatness has been nothing but assistance and helped me through difficult situations. Foster greatness is not only a space where you can get assistance but a place where I was able to express the feelings I had and feel heard as a person. Foster greatness is a place where many previous individuals who have experienced foster care can grow and become better individuals. Had I found this platform as a youth I possibly could have avoided juvenile hall and prison. Alejandro Rocha |
JOIN OUR PARENT SUPPORT GROUPS!
A communal space designed by those with lived experience and trauma-informed training, the Foster Greatness Parent Support Group was designed intentionally to support individual with lived experience in foster care who are parenting. When a child was separated from—and many left without—a parent during their childhood and throughout life, becoming a parent can be an even greater challenge than it already is for most. Many young parents struggle with knowing who to turn to for advice when raising their kids—whether that’s seeking advice when your child is sick or what to ask when looking into day cares.
Parenting as a former foster youth can raise deep emotions of grief, confusion, loneliness and more. Our Parent Support Groups are meant to be a shared space for parents who spent time in foster care to create community together, process, vent, and unpack deeper emotions and experience in a brave space. Beginning August 14th, the Parent Support Group will meet every other Thursday through November 20th virtually in the Foster Greatness Community.
FOSTER GREATNESS DIRECT EMPLOYMENT PIPELINE PROGRAM!
🚨 Exciting Opportunity for Foster Greatness Community Members! 🚨
Do you have lived experience in foster care? Are you interested in
The new Foster Greatness Employment Pipeline program is now LIVE! This COMPREHENSIVE workforce development program, developed in partnership with Staffmark Group, ensures that people who have experienced foster care at any point during their lifetime have wraparound support to secure their dream careers. We will provide: (and more!)
✔️ Professional Mock Interviews
✔️ Expert Resume Reviews
✔️ Hands-on direct job placement and application support
Interested in being featured in a Thriver Story and participating in an engaging panel discussion? 🎙️
We are actively seeking new and inspiring guests with lived experience in the foster system to uplift their voices and stories on the Thriver Stories podcast! If you have a story to share, we would love to hear from you. Simply fill out the form provided above, and we will get back to you with the next steps in the process. ✏️
Our Thriver Stories podcast is dedicated to highlighting the voices of individuals who have lived experience in the foster system. We aim to provide a platform for these individuals to share their unique experiences and personal journeys, all revolving around a specific topic of their choice. 💙
Participants are compensated for the time and contribution they make on our podcast show and panel conversations.
Foster Greatness’s mission is to co-create a dynamic platform with people directly impacted by the foster system to set the standard of empowerment and support. We are providing accessible, authentic connections and support by creating a lived-experience led platform. Our vision for every person who is and has been directly impacted by the foster system to feel empowered and supported.