Most people think of foundations as institutions that make financial grants, and that certainly is a big part of our work. We do support innovative, effective programs, such as the ones you’ll read about in this new issue of our newsletter – a hospice teen volunteer program in an inner-city neighborhood of St. Petersburg and a new effort at the Presbyterian Home for Children in North Carolina to help teenagers from foster care successfully transition to adulthood.

But in reality, the work of foundations can be much broader. It’s not all just about the money. Instead, we ask ourselves what is the impact, influence and leverage of what we are doing. To that end, we take valuable lessons from our grantees’ exemplary work and share them with state and local policymakers. The aim is to educate policymakers on a range of issues to produce better outcomes for children. On that front, this issue of the newsletter contains three important developments that the Eckerd Family Foundation has been deeply committed to: a Children’s Cabinet in Florida, a new mission for Florida’s troubled Department of Juvenile Justice and a report about an innovative but little used procedure, known as civil citations, for young offenders.

Money is nice, but it’s not enough. Our foundation tries to leverage our investments to create lasting structural changes that benefit children. Let me know what you think – I would love to hear from you.

Best regards, Joe Clark

Hospice Teens Cheer Those at the End of Life – and Learn Every Day’s a Gift

Hospice teens visit a patient

In many ways, India Welch, 16, is your typical teenager – she likes watching TV, playing computer games and hanging out with friends. But in other ways, she is very unlike most teens today: She knows she’s not immortal, and that doesn’t scare her.

“I’ve learned death can be a joyful thing,” says India, a sophomore at Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg. “It can be a good thing and not scary. Hospice has made me appreciate life more. It has made me more caring and loving to people.”

For two years, India has been part of Hospice Youth Providing Encouragement (HYPE), a teen volunteer program that is part of Hospice of the Florida Suncoast and is supported by the Eckerd Family Foundation.

[read the rest of the spotlight story]

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North Carolina’s Presbyterian Home for Children Launches Independent Living Program

Teenagers at the Presbyterian Home for Children now have the opportunity to reside in a new Independent Living Program.

In North Carolina, youth in the child welfare system can elect to stay in care until 21, but many choose to leave at 18, facing challenges in finding their own housing, health care and means of living. Statistically, they are at risk of ending up homeless, in dead-end jobs and without health insurance.

Beginning in May 2008, the Presbyterian Home for Children aims to prevent that trend from becoming a reality for 20 youths through a new Independent Living Program. The $1.4 million project, of which the Eckerd Family Foundation is providing 11 percent, includes the construction of a new building comprised of three- to four-bedroom suites with shared kitchens and living rooms.

“The need is so great,” said Tom Campbell, president of the Presbyterian Home for Children. “If we are successful, we want to become a model program.”

[read the rest of the story]

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New Florida Governor Endorses Children and Youth Cabinet, Bill Moves Forward

In his first State of the State address on March 6, new Governor Charlie Crist (R) said he would support the creation of a Florida Children’s Cabinet. The governor’s endorsement adds to the growing support for a Children and Youth Cabinet, which would guide state policy and practice on issues affecting Florida’s children, particularly on ensuring that children have access to continued services from prenatal care through the transition to adulthood. A bill to create such a cabinet is moving through the state legislature.

“We must raise the profile of all children’s issues, from education to health,” Crist said in his speech before the state legislature. “As stewards of this state, our greatest obligation is to our children. But often it is their voice that goes unheard, or overlooked.”

The push for a state Children’s Cabinet grew out of the Florida Children’s Summit, which brought together more than 1,000 community leaders, policy makers and advocates last October and which was supported by the Eckerd Family Foundation. The Children and Youth Cabinet, made up of 15 members from various youth-related agencies and advocacy groups, would ensure that state agencies and programs work collaboratively and holistically to improve young lives.

“Our children need a voice. They need to be at the table because soon—it will be their table,” Crist said. “Our children must be our first priority.”

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Proposed New Juvenile Justice Mission That Includes Prevention and Treatment

The Eckerd Family Foundation’s effort to encourage a new mission statement for Florida’s Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) recently took a major step forward. Walt McNeil, Governor Crist’s new director of DJJ, recently told a Florida House committee that he wants a new mission statement that goes beyond the current statement’s exclusive focus on public protection. The new statement, he said, should reflect a balanced approach of strong prevention, effective intervention, reliable treatment, and appropriate punishment. McNeil has released draft language of a new DJJ mission, vision, and guiding principles for citizen and stakeholder comment. Read DJJ’s proposed mission statement and send your comments directly to Secretary McNeil. Comments about the revised mission, vision and guiding principles will be accepted through April 6th. DJJ staff will take your comments into consideration when drafting the final language. In 2006, the Eckerd Family Foundation sponsored a statewide public opinion poll and roundtables facilitated by Children’s Campaign, Inc., that generated a proposed mission, vision and core principles for consideration by DJJ and other policy-makers. Those statewide discussions generated a proposed mission and vision statement consistent with Secretary’s McNeil’s language. For additional information about juvenile justice issues, go the Children’s Campaign web site at www.iamforkids.org.

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Civil Citations: An Effective But Little Used Way to Discipline Young Offenders

The Eckerd Family Foundation released a new overview paper supporting juvenile civil citations as an innovative approach to disciplining young offenders while keeping them out of the juvenile justice system. Authorized by Florida law, civil citations are meant for youth under age 18 who have committed non-serious, delinquent offenses. In such situations, trained law enforcement officers can choose to either issue a civil citation or arrest the young offender. An officer must believe a civil citation is sufficient to prevent further violations. Unlike other procedures, a citation holds young offenders responsible for their actions through community service without creating an arrest record. This approach also includes family participation as well as mental health and substance abuse screening. Leon County has used civil citations successfully, and the foundation supports use of this procedure elsewhere in Florida. To learn more about civil citations, please read our paper, Appropriate Punishment: Civil Citations for Juvenile Misbehavior

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New On Our Web Site: Two Guides to College Scholarships and Aid

The Eckerd Family Foundation has created two useful guides for students, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to find out about available financial assistance for college. The Guide to Scholarship Opportunities is a list of 25 Florida and national scholarships based on either merit or need. The Guide to State Opportunities for Youth from Foster Care is a complete list of states that offer tuition waivers or financial assistance to youth who have been in foster care. Both are posted on our web site at www.eckerdfamilyfoundation.org. Please distribute them widely.

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Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative Board of Trustees Meets in Tampa

In early March, the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative board of trustees met in Tampa, home of Connected by 25, a program funded by the Eckerd Family Foundation to help young people who “age out” of foster care at age 18 make successful transitions to adulthood. Tampa became an Initiative site in 2005. The Initiative is a national foundation focused solely on helping communities assist older youth in foster care make successful transitions to adulthood. Connected by 25 of Hillsborough County connects these vulnerable young people to education, employment, housing, banks and support systems by age 25. About 75 young people in Tampa, for instance, opened bank accounts at Washington Mutual Bank, so they could participate in the Opportunity Passport™ program aimed at helping youth from foster care become economically self-sufficient. The teens have completed classes in which they have learned about bank accounts, budgeting and setting financial goals. The Jim Casey board heard about the continuing success of Cby 25 in Hillsborough County as well as the work begun in Brevard and Pinellas County. Don Winstead, deputy secretary of Florida’s Department of Children and Families shared the changes that are occurring across the state as a result of Cby25 and the National Governors Association Institute on Youth Transitioning from Foster Care. The Jim Casey board was impressed with Cby25’s and Florida’s work, and one trustee later said: “Tampa offered a compelling picture of why we are doing this work.”

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The Eckerd Family Foundation is committed to promoting meaningful and lasting change to transform the lives of vulnerable youth and their families. The foundation's mission provides leadership and support for innovative educational, preventative, therapeutic and rehabilitative programs for children, youth and their families. The foundation awarded these new grants in February:

FOSTER CARE:

American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law
$150,000
Washington, DC
Offering a three-year, challenge grant supporting youth aging out of foster care and their ability to participate as fully as possible in the dependency court process. As to Florida, this grant supports activities that connect and train interested local and state bar associations to serve youth aging out of foster care and to work through key, youth-serving organizations in the state. The goal is to better hear the voices of foster youth in courtrooms. The ABA effort stems from its “Youth At Risk Initiative” launched in 2006 under the auspices of the ABA Commission on Youth At Risk and is consistent with the goals of the Child and Family Services Improvement Act of 2006 (S. 3525; Public Law 109-288).

Ophelia Project–Tampa Bay; Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA
$100,000
Tampa, Florida
Funding creation of the Connect 2BeU program, a two-year pilot project designed to target teen girls, ages 13-17, in the foster care system. This program adopts an existing evidence-based intervention specifically to this population to provide educational and mentoring programs focusing on violence prevention, self-esteem, positive peer relationships and girl’s health. Connect 2BeU is designed to offer support to teen girls who are in the foster care system as well as those in various stages of preparation, serving as an enhancement to Connected by 25 for this group for independent living.

JUVENILE JUSTICE:

Campaign for Youth Justice
$75,000
Washington, DC
Supporting work in North Carolina to implement effective alternatives to the practice of automatically trying 16 and 17 year olds as adults, no matter how minor the offense. North Carolina is one of three remaining states in the nation to follow this practice relating to youth under 18 years of age. CYJ will work with organizations in North Carolina to define needed reform, advocate for support and work with policymakers to identify and implement more effective and appropriate services for this group.

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT:

Hospice of the Florida Suncoast
$47,175
Clearwater, Florida
Third-year funding supporting the Hospice Youth Providing Encouragement (HYPE) program in St. Petersburg, Florida, a youth-led program engaging teens in the planning, implementation and evaluation of community service projects extending care and companionship to the terminally ill. The project is a collaboration addressing underutilization of Hospice services in the St. Petersburg community through involvement of youth in the faith-based community. In addition to addressing end of life issues, the program also provides guidance on issues including violence and suicide impacting teens.

YWCA Delaware
$15,000
Wilmington, Delaware
Providing support for the Building Bridges to the Future program, a youth leadership retreat and advocacy project for a diverse group of 30 students in grades 10-12 that promotes understanding and respect among students of all races, religions, ethnicities, income classes, gender and cultures through education, conflict resolution and advocacy. EFF funds will target youth from traditionally underserved populations.

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  Editors    
  Ed Hatcher ed@thehatchergroup.com  
  Angie Cannon angie@thehatchergroup.com  
  The Hatcher Group http://www.thehatchergroup.com  
    301-656-0348