Elevate

Date: 2/16/2010
School/Organization: Elevate
Project Leader: Candyce Lyman
Amount: $500
Description: Elevate is a youth-driven program aimed at inspiring change, compassion and connection for foster and adoptive youth in Iowa. 

Members are youth ages 13 and up who have been involved in foster care, adoption or other out-of-home placements. Members are provided with training to prepare them for independent adult living by developing leadership, public speaking and life skills.  Each year, Elevate holds an event called “Elevate Our Youth to Adulthood Day”. This event provides young people from foster care with a suitcase and up to 20 items that they select for their apartment. It is a send-off into adulthood for kids that have traveled a difficult road – in a sense, a rite of passage. CRnetWORK will help provide items to fill approximately four suitcases with wish list item. The costs for suitcases ranged from $20 to $200 and determined that an average cost for filling a suitcase was about $100. Additionally, one of the persons to receive a suitcase this year is a young single mother so a small suitcase for the little one will be included and will have items such as books, bottles, etc.