San Diego County CA— The San Diego Women’s Foundation (SDWF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating and inspiring women to engage in collective philanthropy, raised $6,000 for Just in Time for Foster Youth. The donation was raised at the Foundation’s annual, members-only holiday celebration. The party, held at the UCSD Audrey Geisel University House, was hosted by SDWF member, and wife of UCSD Chancellor Pradeep Khosla.
“Each year, we select one of our Community Partners (grantees) to showcase and support,” said Katie Sawyer, Executive Director of the San Diego Women’s Foundation. “This gathering is a beloved SDWF tradition. It provides our members with the opportunity to connect with each other and provide further support for an organization that is near and dear to our hearts.”
Sawyer noted that, earlier this year SDWF awarded Just in Time with a $25,000 grant.
Just in Time for Foster Youth engages a caring community of volunteers to help transition-age foster youth, ages 18-26, achieve self-sufficiency and wellbeing when they leave the foster care system without family support. The core of JIT’s philosophy is that the most critical gap for youth in foster care has been a lack of connection so the solution is resources combined with lasting relationships to caring volunteers and peers.
At the party, former foster youth and Just in Time participant, Victoria Willis, shared the challenges she has faced, including her birth while her mother was incarcerated, as well as the life-changing connections and opportunities that became available to her through Just in Time. Currently Victoria is thriving as a senior at SDSU.
Don Wells, Executive Director of Just in Time, stated, “We are deeply honored that the San Diego Women’s Foundation felt so strongly about our mission. It’s community partners like this that help us meet the vital needs of the youth we serve.”