What happens when a nonprofit and a business come together with a shared commitment to young people? Possibility becomes opportunity. And opportunity can change a life.
For youth aging out of foster care, a first job can be much more than a paycheck. It can be a first step toward confidence, independence, financial stability, and a career.
That’s why partnerships like the one between Keys to Success (KTS) and Fry’s Food Stores matter.
Since 2015, Fry’s has been a valued KTS employment partner, helping more than 300 young people secure employment across KTS’s service regions in Maricopa, Pima, and Yavapai counties.
But this partnership is about much more than job placements. Fry’s continues to engage with KTS throughout the hiring process, interviewing candidates, providing feedback, considering applicants for future opportunities, and working with our team to help young people succeed.
In Yavapai County, this partnership has been especially impactful. Over nearly five years, the relationship between KTS and Fry’s District Manager Megan Richter has helped young people secure their first employment experiences and every KTS youth she has interviewed has been hired.
For young people like Matteo, Fry’s became the beginning of something bigger. With support from KTS, he prepared for his first interview, obtained work clothing and a phone, completed financial-literacy training, opened checking and savings accounts, and received coaching on workplace professionalism and job retention. Today, he has been employed at Fry’s for nearly a year while taking college courses.
This is what happens when nonprofits and businesses work together.
KTS currently has 116 employment partnerships across Maricopa, Pima, and Yavapai counties, connecting young people with employers willing to see their potential and provide a pathway forward.
Businesses: Become a KTS Employment Partner and help create meaningful pathways to employment and economic independence.
Together, we can help young people move from foster care to a future they can build and believe in.
Your support makes that possible. Make a donation to AFFCF’s Keys to Success program and help provide the coaching, resources, and opportunities young people need to build careers, achieve financial independence, and create a future of their own.
FYI: You can support AFFCF just by shopping at Fry’s! Link your Fry’s VIP card to AFFCF (#JX242) through the Fry’s Community Rewards program, and a portion of your eligible purchases will benefit Arizona children and youth in foster care at no extra cost to you. Remember to re-enroll each year after August 1 to continue supporting AFFCF!