Proof of What's Possible

Last Wednesday I heard a commotion in the hallway outside my office, so I did what any curious person would do: I opened the door to see what was going on. A high school senior, who I'll call Sienna, was skipping down the hall telling anyone who would listen that she had just been accepted into college.

This would be exciting news for any young person, but this student in particular spent her childhood in over 50 foster homes before ever even making it to high school. The joy she carried into and through the building was palpable--the moment felt bigger than an acceptance letter, it felt like proof of what's possible when young people have a place where they are known, supported, and celebrated.

When we talk about prevention, this is the kind of thing we mean. Prevention is about creating the conditions that make thriving possible long before a crisis ever begins.

Our prevention work begins with a simple question: What would have made a difference earlier? What support, what stability, what steady presence might have changed the trajectory sooner?

We know that only 8-12% of youth who experience foster care earn a college degree by their mid- to late-twenties, compared to nearly half of young adults who do not experience the foster care system. The gap isn't about potential, it's about access--to stable housing, to guidance during big decisions, to consistent mentorship, to spaces where young people belong.

Prevention isn't just about responding when something goes wrong, it's about building protective factors early and consistently so that young people grow up with a solid foundation, knowing that they have people on their team. It's about creating places where joy like Sienna's isn't the exception, but the norm.

Room Two is quickly becoming one of those places. In just under a month, the teen drop-in space has become exactly what we hoped it would be: a safe, welcoming space where teens can show up as they are and grow into who they want to become.

Since opening the doors to Room Two, there have been between 5 and 15 teens here every Monday and Wednesday (the two days a week it's currently open). A couple of weeks ago, we hosted a game tournament that brought in a whole group of new teens. While that was going on, a couple of students tucked themselves away into the creative space to work on art projects. Before the tournament began, one teen led an exercise class in the wellness room and invited others to join. Every room was being used differently, all at once!

We're also seeing quieter forms of prevention, like when Tyler and Devin stop in for snacks before school because they don't have easy access to food in the place they're currently staying, or when Kate comes over to work on homework because she has young siblings and no home internet. This is what we hoped for! A place where teens in our valley can access resources that they may not have been able to otherwise, a place where they can gather, create, move their bodies, rest, eat, study, and learn what it means to belong.

When young people have consistent access to support and stability, they're able to build the confidence and resilience that carry them forward.

Through youth leadership opportunities, positive development activities, and everyday relationship-building, our Prevention Team is strengthening the protective factors that research tells us matter most. They're helping teens feel connected to the community, invested in their future, and capable of being incredible leaders.

Thank you for helping us create spaces where prevention looks like laughter in the hallway, art on the tables, movement in the wellness room, and at least one teen who believes in her future enough to shout it from the rooftop (which she absolutely would have done if we'd let her).