Wrapping Foster Youth in Warmth and Love
Our audiologists and support team members have a heart for helping others. One of the projects we participate in each year is the Red Scarf Project. This initiative, from the nonprofit organization Foster Care to Success (FC2S), collects handmade winter scarves from across the country each fall and then distributes them to foster care graduates on Valentine’s Day.
FC2S is the nation’s oldest and largest provider of college funding and support services for foster youth. Since their founding in 1981, they’ve helped more than 50,000 youth with their next steps in life after aging out of the foster care system.
Building a support system for foster care graduates
Many young people who were in foster care as children and teens find themselves struggling to find their footing after they reach adulthood. Many times, they are on their own as soon as they turn 18. The physical, financial and emotional support they received from the foster care system can disappear in an instant, leaving them unsure about how to pursue higher education and find sustainable housing and employment.
FC2S Executive Director Eileen McCaffrey described their mission this way:
“While we cannot undo the past, helping youth who experienced foster care connect with a community of caring volunteers, and providing the resources they need to attend college and graduate ready to enter the workforce, will go along way towards moving them from dependency to an adulthood filled with options and opportunities.”
Valentine’s care packages bring joy and hope
One of FC2S programs is the Red Scarf Project. Individuals and organizations across the country knit scarves that are part of a care package for students in the program to remind them that they are valued and cared for.
Associated Audiologists first got involved with the Red Scarf Project in 2015. At that time our transcriptionist, Terri Phillips, introduced the practice to the program. As a knitter, she also contributed. Later, Dr. Sarah Jo Mediavilla kept the growing effort coordinated, and we have promoted through our newsletter and social channels to reach more people who love to contribute to this special project.
Over the years, we’ve collected more than 1,200 scarves to be distributed through the program.
If you’d like to help by knitting scarves or donating supplies, contact Dr. Danielle Dorner at our Overland Park clinic. Each of our clinic locations accept donations and we then route them to our Overland Park clinic for annual distribution. You can also find scarf-making guidelines on the FC2S website.
