Federal Grant Funds New Service for Foster Children

The Up Center is receiving a $500,000 federal grant to launch a new initiative. The funding from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention will enable the agency to provide a new mentoring program for foster children. The service will combine the expertise of The Up Center’s Team Up Mentoring staff with that of its foster care personnel to help address the unique needs of foster children in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth and Chesapeake.

Mentors will be asked to meet with their mentee once a week and to commit to the relationship for a year. The mentors will be given specialized training and will be recruited from the community at large and from naturally occurring mentors in the past or present lives of foster care children. This could include coaches, teachers, counselors, neighbors, etc. The Up Center will also look to recruit senior “foster grandparents” to serve as mentors. Studies have shown that volunteer mentors who become consistent and caring adults in a young person’s life can play a crucial role in a child’s development and ultimately ease the transition to independent living, which is often a great challenge for foster care youth.

The federal grant will span three years, beginning October 1st, and The Up Center will aim to serve 270 youth during that time period.

For more information on becoming a mentor, please feel free to contact Jonathan Watford at 757-397-2121 ext. 306 or Carol Freeman at 757-397-2121 ext. 337.

For more information on referring a foster child to our mentoring program, please contact Dana Williams at 757-965-8677.