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| Andrew E. is a junior at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. As a youngster, he was placed in Youth Haven’s shelter in East Naples after losing his mother at age 9. He was placed in a foster home for nine years. The Foster Care Council provided tutoring to help with his SAT scores and the funding to take piano lessons. He is now an accomplished pianist and a future dentist. |
The FCC started with one main program, Project Enrichment. The main focus is to provide enrichment activities to children in the foster care system. This program provides a wide range of items and activities for children, such as school clothes, karate classes, summer camp, sports fees and equipment, computer packages, music lessons and Christmas gifts.
These children were able to explore new activities and find hidden talents that would otherwise go unknown.
Project Enrichment is a volunteer run program. These volunteers work diligently to get the most “bang for their buck.” That is, they shop carefully for items requested, and approach vendors to see if discounts can be obtained or items donated. With this attitude, the FCC has been able to negotiate significant reductions in summer camps, clothing, music and recreational lessons, etc. As a group, they have logged more than 9,000 volunteer hours in the last year.