their stories

Honoring the spirit of giving has long been a Thanksgiving tradition, and there’s no better time of year to find ways in which you can make a difference in the lives of others. No matter how small or large your contribution may be, it truly does help, especially when...

McKenna is a freshman nursing major attending NAU this fall. She is also one of 68 students in the AFFCF scholarship program. She talks about attending college and her goals for her future: My current goal right now is to be a pediatric nurse. I love children and...

Kindness, thoughtfulness, positivity. These are three traits that encompass a young man with whom our Keys to Success team has the great pleasure of working. Vincent is a young person who has worked hard to secure a job. For the past month, he has been working at...

The foster care system is designed to help children that don’t have a safe, loving place to call home or parents that can care for them. Each year, more than 250,000 children will enter the U.S. foster care system, and sadly, many will remain there for the duration of...

When this school year began virtually, it put students in foster care at a huge disadvantage. AFFCF answered to call to help level the “learning field” for these young people by creating Education Support Awards. This one-time award category was designed to pay for...

Ariana is sophomore English major who just transferred to ASU this semester. She also is one of 68 students in the AFFCF Scholarship program this fall. We asked for her thoughts on attending university in this time of COVID-19. Here’s what she had to say: The...

When we first met Davin earlier this year, the Yavapai County youth was working to finish his GED so he could enlist in the military and eventually have a career in public service. In care since he was 13 years old, Davin wanted to change the past and make good...

For the past two years, the Bobby Edd Penson Fund has helped young men and women who have aged out of foster care and are pursuing higher education. The program serves as a safety net for youth who have no one else on whom they can rely. “The Penson Fund was all Bob’s...

It may come as no surprise to hear that for children in foster care, there is no shortage of challenges to be faced. From the trauma of family separation to the instability of life within the system, children in foster care often encounter devastating difficulties...