FOSTER TEENS NEED A LITTLE LIFT.Byline: Angela Randazzo Staff Writer SIMI VALLEY Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. - During May - designated as Foster Care Awareness Month - Interface Children and Family Services of Ventura Ventura (vĕnt  `rə), city (1990 pop. 92,575), seat of Ventura co., SW Calif., on the Pacific coast in a farm and oil region; inc. 1866. County is asking the community to support its program that helps foster teens make the transition to adulthood. More than 160 youths are involved in some phase of the agency's Independent Living Program. ``These youngsters have worked very hard to overcome their circumstances CIRCUMSTANCES, evidence. The particulars which accompany a fact. 2. The facts proved are either possible or impossible, ordinary and probable, or extraordinary and improbable, recent or ancient; they may have happened near us, or afar off; they are public or ,'' said Debbie Flowers-Coto, Interface's ILP ILP Inductive Logic Programming ILP Instruction-Level Parallelism ILP Individual Learning Plan ILP Independent Labour Party ILP Independent Living Program ILP Institut Latihan Perindustrian (Malaysia) manager. ``We've had some incredible success stories, and many of them have gone on to college and good-paying jobs.'' Every year, 25,000 foster teens nationwide reach age 18, when they have to leave foster care and learn to look after themselves. However, many of these young people lack skills, income, housing and adult guidance to survive on their own. Interface Children and Family Services is a local nonprofit A corporation or an association that conducts business for the benefit of the general public without shareholders and without a profit motive. Nonprofits are also called not-for-profit corporations. Nonprofit corporations are created according to state law. agency assisting children and their families who are in crisis in Ventura County. Volunteer Mentoring and Host Homes are two ILP programs that rely solely on volunteers. ``We have several opportunities for our community members to provide assistance to our foster teens,'' Flowers-Coto said. ``Theseteen-agers are like any other teen-agers and most of them have a heart of gold.'' Many of the foster teens are facing homelessness and are in desperate need of housing. The Host Homes Program looks to members of the community to open up their homes to a teen-ager for temporary housing in exchange for a small stipend sti·pend n. A fixed and regular payment, such as a salary for services rendered or an allowance. [Middle English stipendie, from Old French, from Latin st . The Volunteer Mentoring program establishes a one-to-one relationship between a foster youth and a volunteer. Many of the foster care teens do not have any family support. A caring adult volunteer can give them support they need as well as advice on everyday issues and long-term Long-term Three or more years. In the context of accounting, more than 1 year. long-term 1. Of or relating to a gain or loss in the value of a security that has been held over a specific length of time. Compare short-term. plans. ``This is such a rare and wonderful program for community volunteers to help positively affect a young person's life,'' Flowers-Coto said. To volunteer or to make a donation, call (805) 485-6114, Ext. 612. |
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