Women And Girls Fund Grant Helps Young Women Live Independently

Waukesha WI

08 April, 2021

11:38 AM

Description

Press release from The Women and Girls Fund of Waukesha County: April 8, 2021 The Women and Girls Fund of Waukesha County (WGF) has awarded a $15,000 grant to Forward Careers, Inc., to help young women successfully transition out of the foster care system. Forward Careers, Inc., formerly known as Waukesha-Ozaukee-Washington Workforce Development, Inc., and Private Industry Council, was incorporated in 1990 as a nonprofit organization to provide employment and training programs for those seeking to improve their employment potential, and to connect businesses with attraction, training and retention services. "This grant is an investment to enhance the success and well-being of young women transitioning out of the foster care system in Waukesha County," said Michelle DuBord, the WGF's executive director. "Forward Careers' Independent Living Program helps young women who have aged out of the foster care system connect to resources that help them achieve household, personal and financial stability." Regina Baecher Oberlin of Brookfield, who created the endowed Beyond Foster Care Fund within the WGF, said she was inspired by many years of volunteer work with youth. "Being a mentor for the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program gave me firsthand knowledge of the obstacles 18-year-olds face when they are released from the support of the foster care system," she said. "They have to find and take care of a safe place to live, find a job to support themselves, and learn many life skills without the family care and support most young adults have." The Independent Living Program helps young adults who often have little or no knowledge of how to live independently with education, employment, financial management, housing, emotional support and connections to caring adults. The WGF, established in 2004, seeks to aid and enrich the lives of women and girls so they become thriving residents of their communities. The WGF annually awards grants to non-profit organizations that support projects and programs that promote the health, education, well-being and empowerment of women and girls of all ages. This press release was produced by The Women and Girls Fund of Waukesha County. The views expressed here are the author's own.