March Newsletter | Our Standards: Led by Youth, Guided by Experience

Foster Greatness March 2026 Newsletter | Navigating Systems, Together

Author

Isabel Stasa
March 02, 2026

Every month, we’ll be sharing community updates that include insights from our community, ways to get involve thoughts from Panel Discussions, and our upcoming events for the month!

March 2026

March: Navigating Systems, Together 🌉💼

Hi FG Member!

There's something magical about walking into a space—virtual or otherwise—and knowing you don't have to explain yourself. No translation needed. No proving your worth. Just the quiet relief of being seen by people who share your language of lived experience. That's the heart of Foster Greatness: building social capital for former foster youth by co-creating a platform where community and support aren't separate concepts, but one continuous thread.🪡 This March, as we tackle career readiness and tax season, we're grounding every workshop, every resource, and every conversation in the belief that you should never navigate complex systems alone.🤝 Because the right choice isn't just about what you know—it's about who knows you, believes in you, and shows up when it matters most. 💙 

February was a month of deep connection, bold conversations, and historic firsts. We kicked off Black History Month with a powerful virtual panel exploring the roots of the child welfare system and its ties to Black history. We launched our Thriver Pathways Career Readiness Program, debuted our partnership with Cetera in a celebratory webinar, and hosted our very first foster care documentary screening night with a raw, real-time panel featuring the former foster youth stars of the film. Across every event, one truth rang clear: when you have a community that truly gets you, you don't just survive the hard stuff—you rise through it together.

Executive Order Memo Highlights Foster Greatness’ Mission Work

We are honored to share that the Transition Aged Youth Coalition has highlighted Foster Greatness as a primary trusted source of support and community for former foster youth. Check out the coalitions Memo and recommendations to the Administration for Children and Families and the National Design Studio.

Black History, Foster Care, & Community 💙 

Our virtual panel brought together community members for a profound conversation on the origins of the child welfare system and its deep intersections with Black history. Together, we uncovered how understanding our collective past empowers us to advocate for a more just and equitable future for foster youth today. ✊🏾

Stronger Together: Cetera & Foster Greatness Partnership Launch

We joined forces with our partners at Cetera to share the heartbeat of our collaboration and how it's expanding access to resources and community for foster youth in Florida and beyond. The energy in that virtual room was proof that when organizations align with lived experience at the center, real transformation is possible.

Truth to Transformation Screening & Panel

Foster Greatness teamed up with our partners at Str8Up Employment Services to bring a LIVE screening of the documentary “Truth to Transformation” to our Community. This documentary follows three exceptional leaders through their stories of being in foster care and the change needed from their perspective. Following the panel, we hosted a LIVE panel with the featured guests from the documentary.

Lived Experience Member Reflection 💭

❝

So many organizations build something and then invite lived experience to the table. Foster Greatness has taken it a step further by partnering with lived experience in the creation of the process. Sharing my Thriver Story and participating on a panel I wasn’t just invited and told what to say, but a part of the creation of the story we told together. True partnership is what foster greatness is all about and it shows in the products they create.

- Faith S.

Resource Highlight 🔎

Trade Scholarship w. Foster Love⚡️

Foster Love’s Trade Scholarship creates access for former foster youth to pursue careers in the trades. The American Industries Trade Scholarship offers up to $10,000 in academic funding over two years to help foster youth overcome financial hurdles in earning a trade certification or vocational degree.

Partnerships 🤝

💼 Foster Greatness + Staffmark Partnership

In 2025, Foster Greatness teamed up with Staffmark - the 5th largest talent recruitment organization in the world - to bring career guidance and support to every former foster youth in our Foster Greatness Community. This partnership provides critical employment support to our lived experience community members during a time when the workforce is rapidly evolving. With support from resumes reviews to mock interviews and networking skill building, our community members are paired with a Career Advisor on the Staffmark team of experts to help them navigate their career journey.

Upcoming Events 📅

Tax Tactics: File Your Taxes Confidently

For more than three years now, Foster Greatness has supported individuals with lived experience in foster care in the tax filing process. This year, we’ve teamed up with our partners at Cetera to provide a tax basics workshop that helps former foster youth understand the tax filing process, what forms they will need to file, and even unpack gig economy (1099 contract) work. This workshop will also include a tax resource guide, which will provide free resources and information you will need to know as you prepare to file your taxes.

Resume & Cover Letter Lab Session

In February, Foster Greatness launched our Thriver Pathways program - a program intentionally designed to provide comprehensive career readiness training and support to former and current foster youth. On March 25th, we are teaming up with Str8Up Employment Services and Staffmark to offer an working lab session for former foster youth to polish and update their resumes and cover letters to make their next career move! Join us to get advice and tips from a Career Expert LIVE as you work on your next application!

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.

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