Raise the Future raising the bar for helping foster youth in Colorado
This Giving Tuesday and as part of Colorado Gives Day, we are highlighting the life-changing work done by Raise the Future. The nonprofit organization connects foster children with permanent families by using child-focused recruitment, adoption resources, and long-term family support.
Raise the Future believes every young person deserves to go through life knowing they have a caring adult by their side.
For decades, CBS Colorado has been a proud partner of Raise the Future, featuring Colorado youth in foster care ready for permanent families as part of weekly Wednesday's Child segments.
CBS Colorado's Mekialaya White has been honored to be part of that effort since 2021, walking with kids through tough times and moments of joy and success, like one in particular last month. Former Wednesday's Child Jarvis finally made his adoption official with his parents in Jefferson County.
Jarvis's permanency, years in the making, is Raise the Future's goal for all 4,351 Colorado youth living in foster care in our state right now. The reasons why are all different.
"My relationship with Raise is both personal and professional because in addition to being a team member here, I am also an adoptive mom. And I cannot overstate how incredible my colleague support has been in helping me understand what my son needed when he first came into our home. Years later, they continue to support me and us on our adoption journey and provide the expertise that has really been an incredible benefit to our family. It's a really special place," said Director of Major Gifts Krissy Fasy.
"My work is so special to me because we all need to borrow hope from one another from time to time," Family Support Services Professional Kaleo George said. "When parenting can get really challenging, Raise the Future offers help through classes like Trust-Based Relational Intervention® (TBRI®) as well as practical support. We remind each other that connection is possible and that we can really thrive in our families."
"We have the chance to make a real difference," said Youth Connections Advocate Anna Cohen. "Young people in foster care find the love and connection they deserve. What inspires me most is seeing the young people find their place again, reconnecting with their families and their communities, realizing they truly belong and they now have people who will walk beside them. Seeing the ripple effect from that reminds me of why this matters so much."
Family Support Services Practitioner Jennifer Bourdeon added, "Getting to see the transitions. Most of the time when families come to us, nothing is working, everyone's upset and morale is really low. After some time working with us, I get to see smiles on faces again. I get to hear how things are going really well. And I get to see hope return."
For CEO Ann Ayers, that hope and connection is everything.
"What we do is go in and we first work on relationship. How can we be a trusting and caring organization and trusting and caring person in that child's life? Help build bridges to then other people who can step in and provide that permanency. We go slowly and we go carefully and thoughtfully with a lot of mental health support and try to just love on these kids. It's become a real lifetime passion because I see miracles happen every day."
Funding to make those miracles happen is critical for the nonprofit, especially right now.
"We are in the holiday season and it's a time when many of us are getting together with friends and family who have been part of our lives for a really long time. And when I think about the fact that our kids don't have that, they don't have people to connect and share that time with, that's what really propels me. We have a mantra around here that we just don't give up and don't give in. We never give up on a child," said Ayers.
A total of 213 youth aged out of Colorado's foster care system last year. Statistically, approximately 1/3 of those youth are homeless by age 21.
Last year, 313 found permanency through Raise the Future. More than 11,000 youth have been placed with loving families since the organization's founding in 1983.
Learn more about donating to Raise the Future through Colorado Gives Day.