Educational Advocacy for Austin

Changing Lives through Advocacy

After leaving an abusive home, 17-year-old Austin thought that hopes and dreams were for other children, not him. The FFC’s Education+ Program, however, wanted to change that.

Like many foster children, Austin lagged behind his peers in school. Due to a distracting home environment and uncertain living situation, schoolwork wasn’t a priority. The FFC’s Education+ program began work immediately to address Austin’s academic challenges. The FFC scheduled one-on-one tutoring for him and encouraged collaborative communication between the school, his tutor, and the FFC Education Manager. This ensured a positive outcome.  His GPA improved all the way from a 1.57 to a 3.0.

Today, Austin involves himself in sports, has lots of friends, and is trying to decide on a career path. In combination with his educational support, FFC makes sure that he has access to equipment and athletic instruction.  He participates in team sports so that when he enters Boone High School this fall as a senior, he will be prepared to meet the academic demands and will graduate on time with his peers.

“I can finally do something with my life. The things I figure out that I want to do career-wise, I’ll be able to pursue. I have the choice to decide.”

For the first time, Austin knows how to use his voice to get what he needs and FFC is making sure that everyone is listening.