Endless Opportunities for What Comes Next
When a child ‘ages out’ of foster care at 18, Thornwell provides a home—the Transitional Living Cottages—to support them into adulthood. At 19, Adair is utilizing this program to navigate independence as she attends college classes, works, and makes decisions about the kind of life she hopes to live. Young adulthood is challenging—full of the desire for both community and self-sufficiency, full of uncertainty and hope. Thanks to you, Adair has a safe place to experience this season of her life, and she has a community of support no matter what challenges she is facing.
Adair is thankful for the way Thornwell gives her freedom and a safety net at the same time. She knows that she’s responsible for the choices she makes, but she appreciates all the ways her Transitional Living Coordinator provides support when she needs it. At the beginning of the year, she had some difficulty with her FAFSA application that might have affected her ability to attend college. She knew she could ask her coordinator for help, and thanks to her community of support, Adair was enrolled and present in her classes on time.
As she considers her next semester of classes, Adair is still unsure what direction she wants to take her major. Always trying to serve others, she’s thinking about becoming an EMT or a firefighter. Whatever she chooses, she knows she wants to spend her days living in the moment, engaged positively with the world around her.
She’s gained job experience several places in the community, but her favorite opportunity so far has been working part-time with Thornwell’s Advancement team. She acts as an aide to everyone in the office, providing an extra set of hands for any active project. She loves the opportunity to serve, but most of all, she loves getting to work in an inclusive environment with staff members who invest in her. Throughout her life, she’s held on to the word “perspective.” As she puts it, “Thornwell changed the way I look at a lot of things. I just have to keep a good perspective on life. There are bad perspectives, but if I just change the way I look at it, I can probably find a good outcome in whatever comes my way.” Adair knows that life can be difficult, but she’s committed to finding the good.
When dreaming about the next year of her life, she says, “I’m excited to see where it takes me.” Thanks to you, her opportunities are endless.
You can give today to impact more young adults like Adair.