Reach for the Stars

Reach for the Stars Fundraising Initiative (Access Transitional Living Program)
Our kids are from abusive, chaotic, damaged households and do not have family support, either emotionally or financially, to rely upon when they turn 18. The vast majority have not finished high school, struggle with abandonment, emotional, mental health and substance abuse issues and have little vocational aptitude. Although the majority thrive with system support as adolescents, approximately 70% fail to assimilate into adult culture and expectation, exacting a tremendous toll on communities through criminal recidivism, imprisonment, financial service dependence, academic failure, substance abuse, homelessness and hospitalizations. Most system involved youth are not developmentally prepared for the demands of adulthood the day they turn 18 and have nowhere to turn. As a result, Sage Community Partnership decided to provide for youth aging out of system support.

After serving almost 6o adolescent boys under the age of 18 as a Foster Care Group Home at our Polaris House facility, Sage CP opted out of the immense benefits of foster care licensure and age limited Medicaid funding so that our thriving kids could remain in our service stream after turning 18. No other programs do this largely because there is no regular funding. Our innovative program is a four-staged progression, assisting each youth for five full years, so that each has fully and successfully assimilated into a sustainable lifestyle. We are outcomes based and track a wide variety of statistics. Our kids graduate from High School. They learn independent living skills. They go to college, usually as first generation students. They get jobs, keep them and save money. They stay in substance abuse and mental health treatment. They have someone who cares to turn to. They become independent and contribute to our community. They succeed.

Now the difficulty lies not in seeing kids fail after turning 18, but having to deny this program to so many due to our limited funding. For each youth we take in, we deny service to 7 others. ‘Reach for the Stars’ is a 5 phased initiative to raise 1.5 million dollars over two years in order to serve each and every transition age at-risk youth in our county, approximately 90 boys and girls each year, and to recreate these resources in other counties throughout Colorado and eventually other states. It is a broad funding collaboration between private business, local government, faith based programs, foundations, fundraisers, endowments and individuals, all stakeholders in the success of our kids. In Phase I, we are raising $100,000 in 2007 to increase our capacity through the Polaris House service stream for boys and to open a new facility and service stream for girls January of 2008. Presently no transitional living programs exist for females. With only one and a half million dollars we can serve almost 500 boys and girls for over 5 years.