​Last month, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a new program on which we will be keeping an eye.
 
Each year, more than 20,000 young people age out of foster care. According to HUD, “approximately 25 percent of these young people experience homelessness within four years of leaving foster care and an even higher share are precariously housed.”
 
To address this, HUD is creating the Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) Initiative, which will “housing vouchers to local public housing authorities to prevent or end homelessness among young adults under the age of 25 who are, or have recently left, the foster care system without a home to go to. Read HUD's notice.”

Contact: Caitlin Deppeler (RJLF), 1-833-4RJLFND
Contact: Jennifer Ashenfelter (Holiday House),
215-345-6960
 
(Doylestown, Pennsylvania)

In late October, a Halloween fundraising event at Holiday House Pet Resort & Training Center raised $1,000 for the R.J. Leonard Foundation.
 
Holiday House clients received an official photo of their dog in costume in return for a small donation, the proceeds of which went to the R.J. Leonard Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to helping young adults aging out of the foster care system through mentoring and scholarships.
 
Holiday House holds several similar events throughout the year, each time in support of a different charity.
 
Caitlin Deppeler, director of the R.J. Leonard Foundation, has been taking her dogs to Holiday House for many years. She was thrilled with the support her organization received. “They have become family as they care for our family, and I am so excited that they are taking interest in a mission I hold close to my heart,” she said.
 
Dr. Laura Weis, who with her husband Dr. Randy Weis owns Holiday House as well as the Doylestown Veterinarian Hospital, remarked, “Giving back to local organizations that support the people and pets in our community is very important to everyone at Holiday House Pet Resort & Training Center. Our clients love the special photos of their pets, so including them as part of a fundraising effort creates a fun and meaningful event. We are so grateful to our generous clients for their overwhelming support.”
 
About the R.J. Leonard Foundation
 
The R.J. Leonard Foundation is dedicated to helping young people who are aging out of the foster care system by providing them with personal mentoring and educational scholarships.
 
About Holiday House Pet Resort & Training Center
 
Holiday House Pet Resort & Training Center is owned by Drs. Laura and Randy Weis, DVM. Theirs is the only veterinarian owned pet resort in the Doylestown area. Learn more at holidayhousepetresort.com.

Last week, on October 19, I drove up from the Montgomery County, Maryland to attend the R.J. Leonard Foundation’s fourth annual Heart for Change fundraising event in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. I have been working as a writer and editor for the RJLF for a couple months, but this was my first time seeing any of the Foundation’s Fellows, staff, or supporters in person. The experience was well worth the four-hour drive.

Before attending Heart for Change, I of course already knew that the RJLF is dedicated to helping young people living in very difficult circumstances achieve their dreams. I was already proud to play a part in the work.

The stories I heard at Heart for Change, however, drove home just how impactful the Foundation has been in the lives of its Fellows.

These young people already had drive, passion, and intelligence before they ever came into contact with the RJLF. What the Foundation has done, however, is given Fellows the tools to harness those qualities and reach their full potential.

I was especially moved by a point that Fellows returned to again and again: that their time with the RJLF has inspired them to give back in turn, thus creating a positive cycle of social change.

The great Robert Kennedy once said that each time a person “stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others or strikes out against injustice,” they send forth “a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest wall of oppression and resistance.”

That is precisely what the RJLF is doing.

By Peter Sicher, Content Development Associate for the R.J. Leonard Foundation

See more photos of our Heart for Change on our Facebook page.

Earlier this year, the R.J. Leonard Foundation’s founder Jo Leonard moved into a new role as our Chief Visionary Officer. We recently sat down with Jo to talk about her new position and her thoughts about the future.

How was the transition to Chief Visionary Officer?
It has been very interesting for me. As you can imagine I felt protective about who I wanted leading this very personal initiative. After interviewing a number of candidates for the role I was relieved to find that one of our own was the best candidate for the job. Caitlin has been working with us since our launch, and so I felt very confident in not just her abilities but her passion and commitment. This made it much easier for me personally.

How is your new role as Chief Visionary Officer different than your previous role as Executive Director? How have your tasks changed?
I’m definitely not as involved in the day to day as I used to be, which is lovely of course, as it gives me more time to work on other projects. Beyond supporting the team as they continue with the transition, I’m constantly on the lookout for new ideas that can improve our programs. I am an avid listener to local media broadcasts, which often highlight local social programs that can be of value to our Fellows (foster care youth we serve). For example, we connected one of our Fellows to Zip Code Wilmington, a fantastic coding program. Sam* excelled in the program and now works for a large investment company, earning a salary that gives him a wonderful quality of life for his new family.

What are you hoping to achieve as Chief Visionary Officer in the next year, or maybe in the next month?
I think the year is a better question than the month. It’s hard to be a visionary every day!
Making connections is what I love to do. Uncovering new supporters and new programs and connecting them to the RJLF keeps the organization fresh and innovative, and engages Bucks and Montgomery County residents in a cause that we can all feel great about. We live in a county of disparate opportunities and overall quality of life. When we share our wisdom, effort and wealth with those who have less opportunity than ourselves, everyone wins.
​
Longer term? I have a lot of big ideas. We are always on the look out for smart, vibrant board members who love the idea of changing the trajectory of someone’s life for the better. With this new team in place, I am confident the big ideas will come to fruition over the next 5 years. And I can’t wait to see it all manifest!
The vision for the RJLF remains the same. It’s quality over quantity, changing the lives of our Fellows in meaningful ways. Our program’s attention to detail and involvement in almost every aspect of our Fellows’ lives is what sets us apart.
​
Meet Jo and Caitlin at Heart for Change, the R.J. Leonard Foundation's largest annual fundraiser!

* Names and identifying information have been changed to protect the confidentiality and safety of Fellows involved in the R.J. Leonard Foundation's programming.

This story was written by the R. J. Leonard Foundation team in cooperation with Miles Hanley, formerly an RJLF Fellow and now an RJLF Board Member. It is a story that has brought Miles Hanley full circle from receiving help from RJLF to now working as a Board Member to offer help to current Fellows.  He is an inspiration to all who know him. Here is his story: 

By the time Miles reached 10 years old, he had lived in four states, constantly relocating due to the instability of his parent’s marriage and abuse within his family. Miles believes he last saw his father when he was between five and seven years old. It was difficult for his single mother to make ends meet as she raised him and his three rambunctious brothers, and when Miles turned 12, his mother became ill, no longer able to care for them. One day child protective services removed Miles and his siblings from their home with only a few minutes to collect their most precious belongings. After a short period of living with other family members, Miles and his brothers entered the foster care system.

Miles shared that after many challenging years in foster care placements, he was accepted to an Independent Living Program, which allowed him to live on his own while finishing high school. “People assume I had guidance and support,” Miles states, but he ultimately guided himself through school and life challenges. “It must have been a sight for other shoppers to see a teenage boy shopping for groceries by himself.”

At age 16, Miles met his future adoptive parents, Chris and Kelli Hanley. “They grew into my parents … my mentors ... They are a huge influence on my life. From navigating school and its complications to getting my driver’s license, Miles said, “they were there for me. After being in foster care, and a broken home, I had no experience of healthy relationships. They were my role models of how men and women should act. Their lessons and their values have taught me about healthy, loving, committed relationships, and how to be a good person in the world.”

My name is Caitlin Deppeler and I’m thrilled to introduce myself to the RJLF family! I have served the mission of the Foundation during the last 10 years in different capacities including participation in the planning process of our first two fundraisers, four years as a Board member, and most recently as Board Chair.

I bring a unique understanding and familiarity of our Fellows’ perspectives due to my experience working in the child welfare system in Southeastern Pennsylvania.  I previously supervised Valley Youth House’s emergency shelter in Bucks County, which serves youth who are experiencing homelessness, are at-risk of becoming homeless, or are involved with the child welfare system.

When I am not working I love to travel and explore new places.  I am delighted that RJLF has developed the Dare to Dream Program to create the opportunity for fellows to grow through nontraditional educational experiences while still pursuing higher education.  
I am humbled to have been chosen to lead the organization into the future as we attempt to fulfill our mission to educate, initiate careers and personally mentor young adults who are aging out of the foster care system.
​
In collaborating with the dedicated staff, Board members, Mentors, Fellows, and Volunteers, RJLF will continue to transform the lives of transition-aged young people!

In December, our Mentors shared their experiences and strategies for achieving their Fellow’s goals. At our Mentor Meeting, current Mentor and RJLF board member Jim Brennan shared tactics for developing a plan for his Fellow, Anthony*. “Assess the Fellow; Set Aspirational Goals; Define Foundations to achieve Goals; and Regular Check Ups,” are the steps Jim uses when creating a plan for Anthony. He used this plan to help Anthony prioritize his schedule when he had too much on his plate. The plan allowed Anthony to decide which schools he wanted to apply to, as well as how much he would need to save to attend his dream school. Now, Anthony has also prepared to save up for a truck. It’s “less about the documents and more about the discussion,” stated Jim, and he listened to other Mentors as they shared what works - and what doesn’t - when they set goals with their Fellows. Have an interest in becoming a Mentor? Email [email protected]

​*​ Names and identifying information have been changed to protect the confidentiality and safety of Fellows involved in the R.J. Leonard Foundation's programming.