The evening featured stories from musician and New York Times best-selling author Jimmy Wayne and Tristin, a participant in YVLifeSet, a Youth Villages program helping youth aging out of foster care find long-term success. Nan Gray, regional marketing director for Sprint, and Ramona Holloway, co-host of the Matt & Ramona Show, were also on hand to help emcee the event.

“Even though others [my family] might not see me as a great person, there are a thousand other people that approve of you. Youth Villages taught me that I can be a great person,” Tristin said.

At the close of the evening, Youth Villages North Carolina presented Jimmy Wayne the inaugural KiteTales Award to recognize him for his work with foster children throughout the country and particularly in his home state of North Carolina.

Youth Villages is grateful for the generous support of Coca-Cola Consolidated and Piedmont Natural Gas as lead sponsors of the event.

“Coca-Cola Consolidated is proud to support Youth Villages as they aim to help every youth aging out of foster care in Charlotte,” said Dave Katz, senior vice president, Coca-Cola Consolidated.

“Youth Villages and YVLifeSet are providing one of the country’s best approaches to helping former foster care kids. Piedmont Natural Gas is honored to support their efforts and the KiteTales event,” said Timothy Greenhouse, managing director of community relations at Piedmont Natural Gas.

Learn more about Youth Villages’ work in North Carolina at youthvillages.org/nc.

Tristin shares her story of inspiration.

Jimmy Wayne, (center) is presented with the inaugural KiteTales Award by Annie Smith, state director of Youth Villages North Carolina, and Pat Lawler, chief executive officer, Youth Villages.

Lead Sponsors

In-Kind Sponsors
Boingo Graphics
Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts
Norman Sound & Productions
Party Reflections
Something Classic Catering & Daisy Catering
Whitewash Films

Flickr photo gallery

Justice Rutherford (far right) speaks about her experience as a participant in the YVLifeSet program at a forum on Capitol Hill.

Every year about 26,000 young people in the United States turn 18 and age out of foster care without ever being united with their biological families or finding a new one through adoption. They are one of the country’s most vulnerable populations, more likely to be homeless, never reach education milestones, to face unemployment and incarceration.

Last week, the American Youth Policy Forum hosted a Capitol Hill briefing highlighting the need to expand effective programs capable of helping transition-age youth overcome challenges and go on to be successful, independent adults. The forum was co-sponsored by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth.

Moderated by David Sanders, Ph.D, executive vice president of systems improvement for Casey Family Programs, the briefing examined the Youth Villages YVLifeSet program and ways to improve federal and state systems to better meet the needs of transition-age youth.

“This is about a system that fails to provide the kind of services and support that young people need to be able to become contributing adults,” Sanders said. “Twenty-eight percent of all children in out-of-home care are teenagers. Nearly half have been in care for two years or longer and don’t have a case plan goal that supports permanency. How do we support permanency so youth are not leaving care without families? Right now the pipeline is not very encouraging.”

On the panel were Mark Courtney, Ph.D, professor in social services administration at the University of Chicago; Mike Leach, director of independent living for Tennessee’s Department of Children’s Services; Jeff Rainey, senior executive for strategic advancement at the YMCA of Greater Seattle; and Justice Rutherford, a 20-year-old YVLifeSet participant from Memphis, Tennessee.

Youth Villages CEO Patrick Lawler described the development of the program. By 2015, YVLifeSet had helped more than 8,000 former foster and disconnected youth in seven states and had shown significant impact in the country’s largest randomized controlled study. The organization began to study how to scale the program to reach every young person who ages out of care each year.

“It seemed like too big a hill for us to climb ourselves,” Lawler said. “And the numbers fluctuate. We know that there are young people who are 19, 20, 21 and 22 who still need help now.

“As an organization, we decided to change direction, to partner with others for the first time, to work with organizations across the country with the goal of providing effective, comprehensive services to this very vulnerable population, to every young person who needs help.”

Courtney reviewed the evidence on interventions for transition-age youth. He is the principal investigator of the Midwest Study, the largest study of outcomes for former foster youth, and conducted multisite evaluations of foster youth programs under the Chafee Act. He also worked with MDRC for the five-year randomized evaluation of the Youth Villages program, which involved nearly 1,300 young people receiving services in Tennessee.

Most evaluations of programs showed no impact, or the studies were very small.

“The Youth Villages study dwarfs in size other evaluations,” Courtney said. “There were a number of significant impacts and the range of impacts is striking: increased earnings, reduced housing instability, a one-fifth reduction in homelessness, reduction in economic hardship, improvement in health and safety outcomes.”

The program should be tried in other settings to see what its impacts would be in different contexts, he said.

“One of the things that this study suggests to me is that we need to rethink what kind of adult support we provide to young people,” he said. “What are the implications of an intensive case management program for basic delivery of transition-age services in the country.”

The YMCA of Greater Seattle will be the first partnership using the YVLifeSet model. The YMCA chose the model after an extensive two-year study of community needs, Rainey said.

“We’re bringing a model in that has been tested, evaluated and is something we need,” he said. After failing to get a federal grant, the expansion is being funded through private philanthropy and the United Way of King County. Outcome evaluation will be done by the University of Washington.

The Seattle expansion will provide a test for the YVLifeSet model in a different environment. The YMCA already has housing, mental health services and employment assistance for this group of youth and layering YVLifeSet on top of these other programs is going to be exciting for the community, Rainey said.

Leach gave insight into what Seattle could expect. By offering comprehensive services to transition-age young people – including extension of foster care and YVLifeSet – Tennessee has achieved dramatic system improvements and is expecting to exit federal court oversight next year.

Traditional case management with a social worker seeing a young person once a month was usually not enough for this population, Leach said. YVLifeSet provides consistent intensive help for young people and is flexible and timely, he said.

“They collaborate with partners in the community; they know employers; they know the educational community,” Leach said. “YVLifeSet specialists make sure that the young people are connected to housing, education and employment.”

Because it is a public-private partnership, YVLifeSet can help young people who don’t meet traditional governmental requirements for help.

“There are a lot of young people who fall through the cracks every day in every state,” Leach said. “I see it all the time. Because of YVLifeSet, I don’t say ‘no’ to young people; I don’t have to.”

Justice Rutherford is one of the young people receiving help in Tennessee; she was a participant in the MDRC study and randomly assigned to receive help through the YVLifeSet program. Rutherford was in the foster care program for many years and then reunited with her mother.

“I went to six different schools and was homeless at one time,” she said. At 16, she became pregnant and signed herself back into foster care to receive more help. Through YVLifeSet, Rutherford meets with a specialist once each month face-to-face and has 24/7 support. She is in college, working toward a bachelor’s degree.

“There have been plenty of times when I’ve broken down in the middle of the night, crying because I felt like I wasn’t doing my best, I wasn’t making enough of myself,” she said. At those times, Rutherford reached out to her YVLifeSet specialist for support.

“I have people behind me who support me, who push me to be great, who let me know that I can be somebody,” she said.

More information about the briefing is available at from the American Youth Policy Forum. Program information is available at youthvillages.org and yvlifeset.org.

Nine participants in Youth Villages’ YVLifeSet program joined other foster youth from around the country (above) for the Congressional Foster Youth Shadow Program in Washington, D.C., this week. They are participating in three days of education, advocacy and relationship building with the goal of improving and strengthening child welfare systems across the United States. They were at the White House today and heard from administration leaders on why advocacy by foster youth on the local, state and national levels is critical to affecting the decisions made by elected officials and policy leaders on their behalf (below).

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Steven Tyler today announced his intimate concert performance “STEVEN TYLER…OUT ON A LIMB” at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall on May 2. The award-winning director Brett Ratner and the legendary frontman are collaborating on a unique experience to benefit Janie’s Fund, Tyler’s charitable initiative to help girls overcome the trauma of abuse and neglect.

Named after his hit song “Janie’s Got A Gun,” Janie’s Fund is a collaboration between Tyler and leading nonprofit organization Youth Villages established to help girls who have been abuses and neglected. Launched in November 2015, Janie’s Fund offered a historic 54 days of impact coinciding with the 26th anniversary of the release of the song. For more information, please visit: www.JaniesFund.org.

“Youth Villages is so grateful to Steven Tyler for starting Janie’s Fund to help our girls who are working to heal from abuse,” said Youth Villages CEO Patrick Lawler. “Steven’s commitment to helping these girls brings them so much hope, and this will be an incredible evening. He uses his big voice unceasingly to raise awareness and funds for the voiceless.”

“I’m digging deep and finding some real buried treasure for this one. I’ve never performed quite like this before,” Tyler said. “I’m telling it like it is and getting to perform with some extremely talented musicians and dear friends from Nashville. For this show, we’re taking it up close and personal and truly going…OUT ON A LIMB.”

“STEVEN TYLER…OUT ON A LIMB” will showcase in-depth stories and insights on stage from recounts of Tyler’s piano upbringing to trials and tribulations of life with his band. Backed by his Nashville-based band, Loving Mary, Tyler will lead the crowd on a time-traveling journey from his musical ancestors in Calabria, Italy all the way to Route 440 and Nashville’s country music.

The event will also feature a silent auction with once-in-a-lifetime experiences and memorabilia, from a five-day stay at Tyler’s Hawaiian home to a limited edition, hand-shaped artist series surfboard designed by artist Tim Bessell as part of the Bessell Warhol Project. Additional items include an autographed, one-of-a-kind painting of Tyler and Aerosmith bandmate Joe Perry by artist Brian Fox; the Skittles® mic stand from the set of Tyler’s Super Bowl commercial; exclusive signed images taken by photographer Sarah Skinner; pieces from Tyler’s personal wardrobe worn on American Idol; and an opportunity to attend the Emmy® Awards in Los Angeles along with a complimentary gifting suite prize package.

Tickets go on sale Friday, April 8 at 10 a.m. and are priced at $53, $153 and $203, not including applicable service charges. Two VIP packages will be offered by Twisted J, one at $550 (includes access to seats in the first five rows and exclusive advance access to silent auction items) and $950 (same offer as $550 with the addition of a Meet and Greet). For additional information with package details, visit www.ticketmaster.com.

One of music’s most recognizable and dynamic performers, Tyler has been cited by Rolling Stone as “one of the greatest singers of all time.” Tyler and Aerosmith have sold more than 150 million records worldwide and he has won four GRAMMY® Awards, six American Music Awards, four Billboard Music Awards and an Emmy® Award. In addition to having nine No. 1 hits, Aerosmith has received 25 Gold, 18 Platinum and 12 multi-Platinum album certifications. Tyler’s highly anticipated upcoming solo album is scheduled for release later this summer on Big Machine Label Group’s Dot Records. His current single, “RED, WHITE, & YOU” is available now.

In addition to presenting sponsor Twisted J Apparel, award-winning New York-based restaurant Catch will sponsor the milestone event.

UPDATE — The Steven Tyler Skittles Portrait sold for $7,101 on eBay on Feb. 10.

Skittles® announced tonight an eBay auction of musician Steven Tyler’s Skittles portrait (below) to support Tyler’s philanthropic initiative that helps girls who have been abused and neglected: Janie’s Fund.

Tyler and his Skittles portrait are featured in the Skittles Super Bowl 50 television commercial, in which Tyler comes face to face with a portrait of himself made entirely of the candy. Bidders can bid on the replica Skittles portrait at www.SkittlesPortrait.com starting Sunday evening until Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. CST.

Proceeds from the auction will support Janie’s Fund, Tyler’s partnership with private nonprofit Youth Villages that raises money and awareness to help Youth Villages provide trauma-informed care to girls who have histories of being abused and/or neglected.

Tyler’s hit song “Janie’s Got a Gun,” originally released Nov. 8, 1989, was born out of a growing desire to speak up for victims of child abuse. Each year, 1 in 5 girls in the United States experiences sexual abuse.

 For more information, please visit www.JaniesFund.org or call 901-251-5000.

Musician Steven Tyler announced today the launch of his new signature philanthropic initiative to help girls who have been abused and neglected: Janie’s Fund.

A partnership with private nonprofit Youth Villages, Janie’s Fund will raise money and awareness to help Youth Villages provide trauma-informed care and experiential therapies to girls who have histories of being abused and/or neglected.

Tyler’s hit song “Janie’s Got a Gun,” originally released Nov. 8, 1989, was born out of a growing desire to speak up for victims of child abuse. Each year, 1 in 5 girls in the United States experiences sexual abuse.

“As a father and grandfather, I want to focus my energy on things that really matter and leave behind something else in this crazy world along with my music,” Tyler said. “I am starting Janie’s Fund to give a voice to the millions of victims who haven’t had one and encourage everyone to join me on this mission.”

Janie’s Fund kicks off with “54 days of impact” running from Nov. 8, the 26th anniversary of the release of “Janie’s Got a Gun,” through the end of the year. Anyone who signs up to support Janie’s Fund during these 54 days becomes a founding member of the fund and receives limited-edition merchandise from Tyler. Fans can visit www.Prizeo.com/StevenTyler to become a founding member and register for a chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime experience with Tyler through Prizeo.

The Ultimate Rock Icon Experience with Steven Tyler prize includes walking the red carpet and VIP backstage passes to Tyler’s new solo album release party and concert as well as hanging with Tyler before and after the show. In addition, founding members are recognized in perpetuity on www.JaniesFund.org.

Youth Villages will use Janie’s Fund to support its work with girls who have been abused and neglected, including in intensive in-home services, residential treatment services, YVLifeSet services for girls aging out of foster care, and experiential therapies such as therapeutic drumming. During the past 10 years, the organization has helped more than 20,000 girls who have experienced abuse and/or neglect and expects to help nearly 4,000 such girls this year in its programs in 12 states and Washington, D.C.

“Youth Villages is thrilled to work with the legendary Steven Tyler to help fulfill his dream of helping these most vulnerable children in our country,” said Patrick Lawler, CEO of Youth Villages. “We use the latest science on children’s developing brains and what works to help them heal from trauma. We appreciate Steven using his big voice on these girls’ behalf.”

Tyler, the songwriter and voice of the best-selling American rock band Aerosmith, has been a philanthropist his entire life, performing at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway.

For more information, please visit www.JaniesFund.org or call 901-251-5000.

Youth Villages North Carolina’s 3rd annual Cornhole Tournament in the Triangle, took place at American Tobacco’s amphitheater in Durham Oct. 8, and was a huge success! The tournament, which featured a raffle, trophies, live music and photo booth (sponsored by Dude Solutions), benefited youth working to successfully transition from foster care to adulthood through help from the YVLifeSet program.

The tournament was the largest to date, with more than 150 community members present to show their support, and 48 participating teams. The event raised nearly $16,000 to provide the most vulnerable young people in our community with the support they need to maintain stable and suitable housing, remain free from legal involvement, participate in an educational/vocational program and develop the life skills necessary to become a responsible citizen.

Not only were youth helped through the money raised, but one young lady was significantly impacted that evening. After hearing Jessica – a YVLifeSet youth – share how the program has positively impacted her future, a homeless youth, who happened to be observing the event, approached our staff and asked how she can replicate Jessica’s successes in her own life. She was admitted into Youth Villages’ services just two weeks later, and we’re excited by the opportunity to support her!

Congratulations to this year’s tournament winners!

Thanks to all of our sponsors who helped make these successes possible through their generosity and participation:

A special thanks to Boingo Graphics for their expedient help printing the banners, and to Bull Durham Beer Company, for generously donating $1 to Youth Villages for every pint sold during the evening.

Tim Goldsmith, Ph.D., testified this morning to the U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee in Washington, D.C., on how young people involved in the nation’s juvenile justice system can benefit from effective intensive in-home programs.

Dr. Goldsmith has served as chief clinical officer of Youth Villages since 1989.

Below is Dr. Goldsmith’s submitted statement:

Download PDFs: Executive Summary | Testimony

Former @youthvillages Scholar Fred Burns with @selenis_leyva. #GivingBack is the new black. @LifeSetNetwork pic.twitter.com/Z9Q7wqZWSJ

— Youth Villages (@youthvillages) September 14, 2015

Fred Burns (left) with Orange is the New Black star Selenis Leyva.

Growing up in Mississippi, Fred Burns and his nine siblings didn’t think much about fashion; sometimes their clothes came from the neighborhood donation clothes closet.

But this week, Burns is all about threads and runways, as he joins the thousands participating in the glitz and glamour of events surrounding New York’s Fashion Week. His goal: to introduce fashion and entertainment celebrities to Youth Villages, a nonprofit organization driven to help the 23,000 young people who, like Fred, age out of foster care at 18 without support.

Burns joins Richard Shaw, chief development officer at Youth Villages, in one of only two booths designated for nonprofit organizations at an exclusive luxury gift and styling lounge by GBK Productions and Pilot Pen. While other participants are introducing celebrities and fashion journalists to trendy new luxury products, Youth Villages hopes to attract celebrities who want to make a difference in the lives of former foster youth across the country.

Burns spent time in foster care in Mississippi. He excelled in both academics and sports, walking on the football team at SEC powerhouse Mississippi State University in his freshman year. Burns began participating in the Youth Villages YVLifeSet program as a college freshman, and his specialist supported him through his graduation from Jackson State University in computer engineering this year. Burns joined American Airlines as a software engineer this spring.

He and fellow Mississippian Tope Daramola, also a young computer engineer, just released an app called PHAZE which allows users to blend photographs with a few clicks. Part of the proceeds from the app will go to build a computer learning center for underprivileged young people at Stewpot Community Services, in Jackson, Miss. Burns and Shaw will be posting photographs to social media using the app.

“YVLifeSet helped me with what I needed,” Burns said. “It was a two-way street. I had the confidence someone had my back, and Youth Villages was there to assist me when I needed help.” YVLifeSet is the largest and one of the only programs in the country to show positive impacts on numerous aspects of life for youth aging out of foster care and entering adulthood.

Youth Villages’ YVLifeSet program has helped more than 8,000 young people make a successful transition to adulthood since it began in 1999. The program’s focus on this most vulnerable population of youth is an intense one, with YVLifeSet specialists on call 24/7 for young people participating in the program. Specialists help the young people navigate all aspects of new adulthood, including budgeting, finding stable housing, completing education, finding and keeping employment and developing healthy relationships.

The program got a celebrity boost last month when best-selling author Vanessa Diffenbaugh, founder of the Camellia Network, a nonprofit crowdfunding and social support platform to help former foster children, announced the Network was joining Youth Villages. The merger allows for enhancements and expansion of the service, and Diffenbaugh joined the organization’s national board of directors.

“This is exciting news for all of us who support former foster children through the Camellia Network,” Diffenbaugh said. “As a partner with Youth Villages’ renowned YVLifeSet program, the Network will be able to help many more young people who need our support. This partnership marries the Network’s technology and innovation with the national leader in social innovation and ‘doing what works’ for kids in foster care. We couldn’t be more thrilled.”

Renamed the LifeSet Network, www.LifeSetNetwork.org, to reflect the new partnership, the website continues to allow participants to help young people transitioning out of foster care attain their goals by crowdfunding needs registries the young people have designated essential to achieving a particular goal. For instance, supporters can buy a laptop for a young person who is entering college or a set of sheets and towels for a young person who is moving into her first apartment.

“The LifeSet Network lets folks who want to support these young people who are close to achieving an important life goal easily help them with some concrete needs – the same way a parent would,” said Youth Villages CEO Patrick Lawler. “This platform helps showcase the incredible potential of these young adults and democratizes funding so virtually anyone can help.

This merger follows Youth Villages’ recent completion of a rigorous, randomized trial of its YVLifeSet program, showing positive one-year results. The study, designed by The University of Chicago and conducted by the non-partisan social science research nonprofit organization MDRC, followed more than 1,300 young adults who had aged out of foster care or juvenile justice placements in Tennessee. The researchers found that, one year after program completion, the young people who participated in Youth Villages’ YVLifeSet services had achieved increased earnings and greater economic well-being, experienced better mental health, had greater housing stability and were less likely to be involved in a violent relationship than young people from the same backgrounds who received other services available in the community. For more information about the study, visit www.MDRC.org.

Camellia Network, a nonprofit crowdfunding and social support platform to help former foster children, has merged with national nonprofit Youth Villages to enhance and expand the service, Camellia Network founder and best-selling author Vanessa Diffenbaugh announced today.

“This is exciting news for all of us who support former foster children through the Camellia Network,” Diffenbaugh said. “As a partner with Youth Villages’ renowned YVLifeSet program, the Network will be able to help many more young people who need our support. This partnership marries the Network’s technology and innovation with the national leader in social innovation and ‘doing what works’ for kids in foster care. We couldn’t be more thrilled.”

Renamed the LifeSet Network, www.LifeSetNetwork.org, to reflect the new partnership, the website will continue to allow participants to help young people transitioning out of foster care attain their goals by crowdfunding needs registries the young people have designated essential to achieving a particular goal. For instance, supporters can buy a laptop for a young person who is entering college or a set of sheets and towels for a young person who is moving into her first apartment.

Diffenbaugh started Camellia Network four years ago with the proceeds from her best-selling book “The Language of Flowers,” and it has since given more than 300 former foster youth the chance to connect with more than 1,600 supporters who provide resources and helping relationships. The author’s second novel, “We Never Asked for Wings,” about motherhood and the challenges faced by immigrant families, was released Tuesday.

“We are immensely proud of what the Network has accomplished so far,” said Diffenbaugh, also a member of Youth Villages’ national board of directors. “But with 23,000 children aging out of the foster care system every year, we needed to find a way to scale bigger faster. Youth Villages is the perfect partner for that. Our supporters are excited about the opportunity to help more young adults and to have the advanced features the new website offers.”

Youth Villages’ YVLifeSet program has helped more than 8,000 young people make a successful transition to adulthood since it began in 1999. The program’s focus on this most vulnerable population of youth is an intense one, with YVLifeSet specialists on call 24/7 for young people participating in the program. Specialists help the young people navigate all aspects of new adulthood, including budgeting, finding stable housing, completing education, finding and keeping employment and developing healthy relationships.

In addition to supporting emerging adults participating in Youth Villages’ own programs, the new LifeSet Network will continue to seek strategic partnerships with various other programs serving former foster youth. A pilot phase with participants in Youth Villages’ YVLifeSet program will lead to further enhancements in the Network as it is scaled to serve more young people. The Network’s goal is to provide an easy way for supporters to connect with young people in the YVLifeSet program and similar programs and fulfill their needs lists.

LifeSetNetwork.org’s updated responsive design will offer such new features as the ability to complete a young person’s registry with one click and enhanced search functions to help users more quickly find a young person they’re able to help.

“The LifeSet Network lets folks who want to support these young people who are close to achieving an important life goal easily help them with some concrete needs – the same way a parent would,” said Youth Villages CEO Patrick Lawler. “This platform helps showcase the incredible potential of these young adults and democratizes funding so virtually anyone can help.”

This merger follows Youth Villages’ recent completion of a rigorous, randomized trial of its YVLifeSet program, showing positive one-year results. The study, designed by The University of Chicago and conducted by the non-partisan social science research nonprofit organization MDRC, followed more than 1,300 young adults who had aged out of foster care or juvenile justice placements in Tennessee. The researchers found that, one year after program completion, the young people who participated in Youth Villages’ YVLifeSet services had achieved increased earnings and greater economic well-being, experienced better mental health, had greater housing stability and were less likely to be involved in a violent relationship than young people from the same backgrounds who received other services available in the community. For more information about the study, visit www.MDRC.org.