Orange, CA – June 13, 2017 – During the summer of 2016, Pastor Jay Hewitt of Friends Church Orange contacted the Coordinator of Foster, McKinney-Vento, at At-Risk Youth for Orange Unified District offering to support the district’s foster and homeless students and families. “As a community, we all have the responsibility to provide care for at-risk children among us,” said Pastor Jay. Thus, a collaborative partnership was initiated.

In evaluating needs, Orange Unified and Friends Church identified several key areas in which to target for support. Over the course of the school year, Friend Church Orange graciously provided refreshments to foster parents at eight of the Orange Unified School District Foster Connections meetings. Foster Connections is the foster parent program at Orange Unified School District that meets monthly to provide training and support to foster parents. 

In December, Friends Church Orange helped to coordinate with another local church, contributing holiday care packages for foster and homeless youth, which included toiletries, jackets, and shoes. Throughout the school year, Friends Church Orange also provided care packages to the Connections Mentors across nine of our secondary schools. Connections Mentors are teachers and staff on campus who mentor and support foster and homeless students at school.

One of the Connections Mentors expressed her gratitude and stated, “Friends Church has gone above and beyond to help support us support the kids. It means such much to us. I am extremely grateful”. 

“It is an honor to get to partner with our wonderful Orange Unified School District as they provide a quality support system for vulnerable kids”, stated Pastor Jay. Orange Unified would like to thank Friends Church Orange for their generosity and support throughout the school year.