Steven Tyler’s Janie’s Fund – A Partnership with Youth Villages

By Darcy Castro

In 1989, Aerosmith’s mega-hit “Janie’s Got a Gun” hit the airwaves and earned the band, and songwriter Steven Tyler, its first Grammy the following year. Not only did it top the charts, but the song’s tough and honest look at abuse sparked meaningful conversations and became a catalyst for change. Fast forward to a 2014 Aerosmith concert in Atlanta, and Tyler’s long-held vision to create a safe place for girls who have suffered the trauma of abuse and neglect became reality when he paired up with Youth Villages, a nationally-recognized child welfare organization with a proven track record of delivering positive outcomes.

By 2015, the wheels were in motion and Janie’s Fund became a reality, partnering with Memphis-based Youth Villages under the guidance of Richard Shaw, now Janie’s Fund’s Chief Development Officer and Tyler’s trusted gatekeeper of this outstanding program. The collaboration has proven itself to be a powerful force addressing the needs of abused and neglected young women.

In the years since, Janie’s Fund and Youth Villages have worked hand-in-hand to end the stigma for these young, misunderstood and under-served women, providing programs and services that are committed to helping them reach their potential. Atlanta, where the relationship kicked off, became the site of Janie’s House – a safe-haven Tyler had imagined – and a component of their outreach work.

Rocking for a Cause, The Magazine Lifestyle’s high-profile Livv Music edition launch event, is a benefit for Janie’s Fund and Youth Village’s unique LifeSet program. LifeSet specifically targets 17- to 22-yearolds that are aging out of the foster care system and do not have the safety net of an adoptive family to guide them as they move into the next chapter of their life, stepping in to provide crucial and proven services to what is statistically the most vulnerable group in our country.

Long before “Janie’s Got a Gun” became a legendary rock anthem, the seeds for the song were planted when Tyler learned about the trauma of sexual abuse from a woman who shared her story with him, including the long-term impact it took on her life leading to addiction. When the song hit the airwaves, women across the country reacted with their own stories and a deep sense of gratitude for opening up the conversation.

Tyler began to form a vision of how the story could be different for girls like Janie, if they had a safe place to go and the resources they needed to heal and thrive. The formation of Janie’s Fund was the culmination of decades of Tyler’s determination to make a positive impact on girls like the fictional Janie he had created for the song, and perhaps change their story for the better.

1 in 5

One in five girls suffer from sexual abuse before their 18th birthday

25%

25% of these young adults suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is twice the rate of returning war veterans

The average cost of providing LifeSet to one young adult is $40-$50 per day, which, over the course of the program’s average seven-month duration, adds up to about $10,000 per young woman Almost 500,000 children are current in the foster care system

247,000

In five years, Janie’s Fund has provided girls with 247,000 days of therapy

$40-$50 500,000

20,000

About 20,000 of these children in foster care age out of the system each year

18,000

Since 1999, the LifeSet program has helped more than 18,000 young adults develop the skills and support systems necessary to heal and become productive members of their communities

2028

Janie’s Fund and Youth Villages are embarking on an ambitious plan to ensure all youth aging out of foster care have access to comprehensive, evidence-based services like LifeSet by 2028

Supporting Janie’s Fund, Youth Villages and their LifeSet program means that every donor can play a role in changing the outcomes for these young women, lifting them up through proven and effective programs that are transforming lives. Every young woman who has suffered the pain of abuse and neglect has potential that can blossom with the right kind of care and support, and LifeSet aims to do just that. The staggering statistics of homelessness, economic insecurity, incarcerations and unemployment that afflict young women aging out of foster care do not have to be the norm. Tyler’s labor of love that became a reality through Janie’s Fund, through the partnership with Youth Villages, and supporting that work means that you, too, play a role in ensuring his vision helps girls like Janie for years to come.

Learn more at JaniesFund.org

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