Inside the Mission - A Few Success Stories from Our Road to Success Program

By Margie Dotson
Road to Success Specialist

March 23, 2022

St. Lucie West -

Many of us begin each year with a New Year's resolution, and by this time, those resolutions are nearly forgotten - goals to eat better, lose weight, exercise more, travel, and so on.

But for many of our young adults in foster care, survival is the goal; living a normal life is the resolution. Sadly, a vast majority of the young adults we serve want to leave the system by any means necessary once they turn 18. Post-secondary education, vocational schools and certification is not always the primary focus despite our best efforts.

Free college and a financial stipend - offered to kids who grow up in the system - are not always enough of an incentive to stay on the educational track. Many of them attended so many different schools as teen-agers that they didn’t always receive the tools or foundation needed to successfully navigate through early adulthood.

In other cases, obtaining immediate employment and securing stable housing is the priority. For these young adults, college or vocational school is something that they can do later. And we're here for them, too.

So, it is with great pride that we at Communities Connected for Kids boast an an average 15 students a year in our post-secondary education program.

Here are just a few. Although they have each given permission to share their stories, we're using their initials to protect their privacy:

M.P. is an Alumni of our Road to Success and Post Educational Support & Services Program. She reached out to me because she wanted to let us know how much of an impact that this program has had on her life. She calls herself a “mature student” and, despite already graduating from college, decided to re-enroll and is currently a pre-law student pursuing a degree at Texas Southern University. She finished the fall 2021 semester with a 4.0 GPA. She is the mother of six and is signed with Page Parkes Modeling Agency.

T.R. has successfully completed his vocational certification in barbering from Indian River State College. He is also a proud father to his daughter.

A.F. has completed another semester with a perfect 4.0 GPA at Indian River State College and has transitioned to Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU) in Tallahassee. She also participates in our Florida Youth Shine, a peer-driven advocacy group.

A.S. finished the fall semester with a 3.75 GPA also at Indian River State College.

T.W. is a student athlete at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, where he plays football. His team played in the 2021 Stagg Bowl in for NCAA Division III National Championship. When time permits, he participates in both our youth advocacy groups with Florida Youth Shine and One Voice Impact.

I hope that these amazing accomplishments inspire others as much as they have inspired me.

Pictured above are the author, Margie Dotson, Tyler Wrenn and Rebecca Morgan during this year's Children's Week at the state capital. Margie and Rebecca are specialists in CCKids' Road to Success program. Morgan is a former youth in care.