Helping Youth Age Out of Foster Care

History

In 2005, Mitsie and Albert Scaglione hosted a benefit for the Lutheran Child and Family Service of Michigan at their Park West Gallery®. They were touched when one of the girls in the foster care system aided by LCFS drew a picture in thanks. They decided to look deeper into the situation of the girls in the care of LCFS.

What the Scagliones found was a struggling system barely providing the basics for the children in foster care, and other agencies valiantly attempting to fill the gaps. Nine young girls living in a group home in Northwest Detroit immediately grabbed their hearts. What began as simple acts of kindness – to provide the little extras and attention that most children receive at home – grew into a calling.

While working with the ‘Marlowe Girls’, as they affectionately came to be known, the phenomenon of the ‘aged out’ was brought to the Scagliones’ attention. Often, literally overnight, these essentially parentless young women (and men) are handed a bag with their meager belongings, a small stipend and are sent out to survive on the street. Often abandoned yet again, and lacking the skills needed to care for themselves, find a job or a place to live, they face a host of problems.

What began as simple acts of kindness – to provide the little extras and attention that most children receive at home – grew into a calling where the Scagliones made a personal commitment to find solutions to a series of gaps in services to vulnerable children in and out of care, where often basic needs went on, simply unmet.

The Park West Foundation® was formed in 2006, by Mitsie and Albert Scaglione, to support organizations committed to strengthening positive values and leadership that support creative and lasting solutions for youth locally and in communities around the world. The Foundation’s priority local commitment became addressing urgent needs of children aging out of foster care in Southeastern Michigan.

Understanding The Problem

Due to neglect, abuse or absence of a parent as a result of substance abuse, incarceration, death from illness or violent crime, most children generally become wards of the state between birth and 13 years of age. The vast majority of these children have little to no knowledge, contact, or support from family members. While in the system children are moved frequently among foster homes, residential facilities, and schools making it nearly impossible to accumulate the credits necessary to graduate, or develop healthy social skills necessary to function in the "real world".

Between the ages of 17 to 20 years old, state wards are closed out from the state’s care and are made to walk into an unknown future without any direction and support system, making up the population for the new homeless. The Park West Foundation® is there to assist them in both simple and complex ways—by preventing these youth from falling victim to exploitation by negative elements of the communities in which they find themselves, and to provide a range of services that empowers youth towards long-term academic, social, and life success.

Our Commitment

The Park West Foundation® empowers these ‘aged-out’ young adults by building a sustainable and supportive community. By utilizing key partners and mentors we seek to provide a support system to ease the difficult transition from state-sponsored care to a fulfilling life through a range of support services. These support services include crisis response, prevention and intervention; advocacy and legal assistance; healthcare; housing and transportation; education, vocational training and employment services; family preservation and family life skills; teen parenting support; cultural and recreational experiences, access to worship and referral to other existing resources.

The Park West Foundation® is deeply committed to community; benefiting people in need and organizations that are making a difference throughout the world. The foundation continuously seeks ways to give back to communities in need on local, national and global levels.

You Can Help Make A Difference

In our tireless commitment to create a more complete support system for these young adults, Park West Foundation® is currently serving over 200 youth and is searching for a building to offer housing, education, job training, and day care all in one centralized location. This ambitious vision requires the grit, enthusiasm, tenacity, and heart of all mentors, partners, volunteers and supporters. The Foundation’s goal to inspire, provide opportunity and support a safe environment for these vulnerable children in our community will be met with the help and commitment of our supporters and partners.