A Reflection of The Three Year Journey With FFG in the Words of FFG Participant Savannah...

“I was not in Foster Care all my life. I was put in the state’s custody, while I was still in the hospital and right after I delivered my daughter Jada. I was 14 when I had Jada. During my transition from living with my mom to living in a foster care facility, it was a very rough time for me. At the shelter, I was very closed off and stayed in my room for at least the first week. I remember the first time I came out of my room was to go to an FFG group workshop. The first person I met was Ms. Anu and she was extremely different from the staff at the foster care facility. Her demeanor was different. From the start, I knew she was someone who I could confide in and that she genuinely cared for the girls who joined the workshop. The next person I met was Shreya. As I continued FFG workshops twice a month for 11 months, I began working with 3 FFG coaches: Karishma, Kaitlyn, and Ashley. In September of 2019, I shared that I would be leaving the foster care facility and will live with my guardian. Even after my move, I was able to continue to keep in contact with FFG as well as my coaches. I was given a personal laptop so I could continue with the FFG program and soon I became an FFG site coordinator.

With my Digitally Forward coach Karishma, I worked to get my Microsoft Office Specialist certification so that I could gain the skills to get a work from home job while completing high school and raising my daughter. My Financial Well-Being coach Kaitlyn helped me put together a budget for my situation as a single teen mother. We also worked on a savings challenge “A Dollar a Day”. This challenge required me to save a dollar a day so every year, I have at least $365 in my savings. Ashley, my Career Journey coach helped me with college applications, essays, and understanding how to navigate the workplace. With Ashley’s help, I was accepted into four colleges in North Carolina and two other out of state colleges. One of the schools being my dream school, UNC Charlotte, which I will be attending this fall to study nursing. FFG has provided me with the skills, support, and guidance needed to reach my goals as well as the resources needed to give my daughter a stable life. I receive care packs from FFG every 2 weeks including food, hygiene, feminine hygiene as well as clothes and essentials for Jada. Last week, FFG told me that I will be getting a car for my 18th birthday! A 2004 Toyota Highlander! I am proud to say I am a product of my FFG environment. Therefore, being around the FFG family has shaped me into the confident, mature, and responsible young mom I am today.”