FAMILY VICTORIES FROM YOUTH VILLAGES
LIFESET ™ PARTICIPANTS SHARE THEIR JOURNEY FROM FOSTER CARE TO ADULTHOOD
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
• ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL YEAR FOR HOLIDAY HEROES
• LIFESET GIVES SHARON MICHELLE A PURPOSE
• YOUTH VILLAGES CELEBRATES 25 YEARS OF CHAFEE
Dear Friends,
The Middle Tennessee team continues to be filled with gratitude for the unwavering commitment of our partners, supporters and volunteers as we serve children, families and young adults impacted by the child welfare system.
We closed 2025 on a high note with another record-setting Holiday Heroes season, providing 2,816 youth with exactly what they wished for thanks to more than 600 volunteer shoppers.
Ensuring every young person who enters the foster care system has a loving place to stay when home is no longer a safe option remains a priority. Last year, we certified 55 new foster homes, expanding our capacity, and we are always looking for more families willing to open their hearts and homes to youth in foster care.
Our commitment to safety and stability doesn’t stop there, as we continue to support those making their journey into adulthood through our LifeSet program, which served more than 500 young adults last fiscal year. This February, we launched ‘Ready, LifeSet, Go!’ an online fundraiser designed to fuel young adults’ journey to independent living, breaking through roadblocks and navigating barriers. The campaign continues towards its goal of raising $250,000 by the end of the our fiscal year in June.
This year is already shaping up to be filled with opportunities to create lasting change, and we look forward to working alongside you to build a brighter future for the young people of Middle Tennessee.
Thank you for your continued support and belief in our mission.
Brittany Farrar EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
MIDDLE
TENNESSEE PROGRAMS
brittany.farrar@youthvillages.org 615-250-7322
Meredith Forehand, Chair
Chuck Banker
Elaina Brintnall
Josh Corey
Jason Egly
Stephen Francescon
Matthew Gann
Chuck Hoelscher
Jackie Huser
Nate Kenney
Ben Madonia
Dianna Maher
Sarah Mickle
Shannon Millen
Adam Nickas
Tony Sharpe
Youth Villages is a national leader in mental and behavioral health committed to finding the most effective solutions to help children, families and young adults overcome obstacles and live successfully. Working through direct services, partnerships with innovative public agencies and advocacy, we collaborate to bring positive change to child welfare, children’s mental health and justice systems. Our 4,500 employees serve more than 43,000 children and young adults in more than 100 locations in 27 states and the District of Columbia. Youth Villages has been recognized by the Harvard Business School and U.S. News & World Report and was identified by The White House as one of the nation’s most promising results-oriented nonprofit organizations.
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Five young adults who aged out of foster care at 18 years old vulnerably shared their experience transitioning to adulthood without a family support system at our inaugural Impact Hour event.
The evening provided an opportunity for 150 donors and community members to learn more about the young adults’ life goals, the barriers they faced along the way and LifeSet’s role in their success.
“When I turned 18, I was failing two of my classes and didn’t think I was going to graduate high school,” said Isaiah, 19, LifeSet participant. “Every time I tried to quit, my LifeSet specialist wouldn’t let me. She was like a mother-figure in that way, pushing me to keep going, which I appreciated because my mom is deceased. I got my grades up and graduated with a 3.0 GPA.”
The second panel of the evening featured Caitlan, a young adult in LifeSet, and her foster parent, Travis. They highlighted the crucial role of a strong support system in managing complex logistics such as housing, transportation and financial assistance.
Thanks to everyone who attended and took the time to learn more about LifeSet and kick off our ‘Ready, LifeSet, Go!’ fundraising campaign, which will run online through June 2025.
EVENT AND CAMPAIGN SPONSORS
Anonymous
Amanda and Ben Madonia
Capital Resource Group
HCA Healthcare
PMC (Parking Management Company)
Lipman
Piedmont Natural Gas
Restless Spirits Bartending Services
Former LifeSet participants Sahar McGill and Tristan Slough shared their experiences in and after exiting foster care in Tennessee on WPLN’s ‘This is Nashville.’
Each emphasized the importance of support systems in overcoming the adversities associated with aging out of foster care alone. They discussed how mentorship, educational opportunities and community resources played pivotal roles in their journey to success. Their stories highlight the critical role support systems like LifeSet
provide in improving outcomes for youth who have been impacted by the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.
Ready, LifeSet, Go! is an online giving event fueling the journey for young people transitioning from foster care to adulthood. Just like a green light at an intersection, LifeSet empowers them to move forward confidently, breaking through roadblocks and navigating barriers. Every dollar raised helps pave the way for these young people, providing essential support and resources to guide them on the road to independent living.
For more information or to pledge your support, please email bailey.saunders@youthvillages.org. GIVE NOW ONLINE TODAY!
Chafee, the federal funding stream that provides services to young adults who age out of foster care, now includes additional funds to receive post-secondary education and job training.
Young people who age out of foster care services at 18 experience serious challenges as they make their way in adulthood. Providing support, opportunity and resources for them is a core mission of Youth Villages and our supporters.
Youth Villages LifeSet, extension of foster care and independent living programs were in Washington, D.C., to take part in a celebration of the 25th anniversary of federal support for current and former foster youth through the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood program.
Thirty-five young people from 13 national organizations went to D.C. for two days of meetings themed: Our Voices, Our Vision — Policy Solutions. Young people advocated for a focus on healing, lifelong family connections and increased economic opportunities. The event was sponsored by the Journey to Success Campaign and partnering organizations, including Youth Villages. The young people are part of multigenerational advocacy that has brought about support and funding for former foster youth. In 1999, young people were influential in the passage of the John H. Chafee
U.S. Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), founder and chair of the Senate Caucus on Foster Care, speaks to young people and advocates.
Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood. Funded by $143 million in 2024, the Chafee program is still the primary federal funding stream that states use to provide services to young adults who age out of foster care systems. The Chafee program now includes additional funding for young adults to receive post-secondary education and job training. The National Youth in Transition (NYTD) database that collects information and outcomes on youth and young adults currently or formerly in foster care is also funded by the Chafee program.
U.S. Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), founder and chair of the Senate Caucus on Foster Care, and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn), caucus member, spoke to the young people.
Grassley traced his decades of advocacy for foster youth to one young staff member, named Sarah,
who had been adopted and brought foster care issues to his attention.
“Your advocacy is very important,” Grassley told the young people.
“My inspiration to work on these issues came from young people who experienced foster care, and you continue to inspire me today.”
He said the Senate Caucus on Foster Care began in 2008 to create an avenue for youth advocacy and bipartisan collaboration on these issues.
“We’ve been very successful in getting things done,” Grassley said. “But there are some issues we still need to work on.”
Youth Villages is advocating for an increase in Chafee funding to ensure all 50 states can expand services to former foster youth to 21. Other bills would extend services to 26, an age when most parents are still providing financial support to their children.
The teenage years are a tough time for most young people to handle. In her younger teens, Sharon Michelle faced more uphill climbs than many her age. She lived in three different homes, exposed to substance use and required to follow strict rules. She was never allowed to make friends, attend after-school activities and get a job, all the things her peers enjoyed.
The LifeSet program empowered Sharon Michelle to overcome her challenges and build a brighter future for herself.
The trauma she suffered took away her hope for a promising future. “I believed when I turned 18, I was going to run away and disappear,” Sharon Michelle said.
The challenges for Sharon Michelle started just before middle school when she lived with her mother who abused drugs. As a result, she was removed and placed with her grandfather. During her time there, she never enrolled or attended school.
Two years later, Sharon Michelle moved again, this time to live with her father, and re-enrolled in school. Despite missing the previous two years of school, she was placed in eighth grade.
“I kept myself reading those two years,” Sharon Michelle said. “Reading was how I got through a lot of things.”
The time in her father’s home quickly turned downhill due to substance use by her father and stepmother. Arguments broke out, and their anger frequently spilled over to Sharon Michelle.
“It got to the point where it was no longer just emotional abuse,” Sharon Michelle said. “They had gotten physical with each other. Over time, they began to get physical with me.”
At school, Sharon Michelle was a good student but was only allowed to attend class and nothing else. Her father made her come home immediately after school every day.
Finally, she talked with her school counselor who encouraged her to contact Child Protection Services. She did, but after CPS came by the home, the situation got worse. Friction in the home grew.
“It was a toxic household,” Sharon Michelle said. “I had been in a dark place for some time. Those suicidal thoughts came back that day, and I was taken to a medical facility.”
After her time at the medical facility, Sharon Michelle was referred to Youth Villages’ LifeSet program, and Erna Sveinsdottir became her specialist. LifeSet is a program that helps young people who have lived experience in foster or kinship care have a successful journey into adulthood.
The challenges, though, didn’t end. Sharon Michelle’s father and stepmother were against her specialist coming to the home, and Sharon Michelle still struggled with suicidal ideation.
“I was so mentally drained and depressed from living there, I had no motivation to do school at all,” Sharon Michelle said. “I was scared to leave because I couldn’t just tell them.”
LifeSet helps young people as they transition to adulthood by teaching life skills, goal setting, help in finding a job and housing, budgeting and more. With encouragement from Erna, Sharon Michelle moved out of her father’s home to a new place where she started working on her plan of finishing high school and attending college.
After her move, Sharon Michelle achieved her first goal: she graduated high school as an honor roll student and enrolled in nursing school.
LifeSet also taught Sharon Michelle, now 19, how to take better care of herself. After no doctor visits for five years, Erna helped Sharon Michelle arrange more than 40 appointments to catch up on her health.
“I’ve worked on taking care of myself more,” Sharon Michelle said. “No one had taught me those things, but Ms. Erna did. She always reminds me to take a day for myself.”
Aside from goal setting, LifeSet helped Sharon Michelle gain self-confidence. She has the courage to set boundaries with others and be more assertive. Most of all, she is happy.
“Before LifeSet, I would look at myself, and I was disgusted,” Sharon Michelle said. “I felt unworthy of living. Being in LifeSet, it gave me a new purpose, a reason to live.”
Now, Sharon Michelle is in her second semester of nursing school and doing well in her classes. She is a LifeSet Scholar, which provides additional support of a mentor to go along with her specialist.
“LifeSet has given me multiple reasons to live,” Sharon Michelle said. “They have done so much for me that it’s hard to put into words. I had nothing; now I have so much.”
For more information on LifeSet, scan the QR code or visit youthvillages.org/lifeset.
615 Soul Line Dancers
615 Ventures AHEAD
Amazon
Anonymous
Apex Moving + Storage
Blue Sky Cottage
Brasfield & Gorrie
Dell Small Business
Event Tickets Center
Excelsior Grand Chapter Order of the Eastern Star
GEODIS
Hunt Brothers Pizza/ DBH Distributing LLC
Inga Casha Interiors Jackson®
JetRight Aerospace Holdings
Thanks to the 75 volunteers who wrapped 1,500 presents for young people in LifeSet at our annual Holiday Cheers gift-wrapping party in Middle Tennessee. The event was presented by Thomas & Company and made possible by our sponsors Jackson®, Journeys, Amazon, 615 Ventures and Silicon Ranch Corporation.
Journeys ISTS
Nashville Ready Mix
NFIB
Optum
Pella Nashville
PMC Cares
RC Mathews Contractor
Reliance Heating and Air
Ricoh USA
Rogers Group Silicon Ranch Corp.
Snell Family Charitable Foundation
SouthPointRisk
Stasko & Griffis Team - Keller
Williams Realty
Target
TechnologyAdvice
Tennessee Soccer Club
Tennessee Titans
Thomas & Company
Turner Construction
United Way of Maury County
Volunteer Corporate Credit Union
Warby Parker
Youth Villages kicked off its annual Holiday Heroes campaign with the help of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans. Players, staff and their families helped transform an empty office space, donated by 615 Ventures, into a holiday workshop, which would be filled with thousands of toys donated by more than 600 individuals and sponsors in the following weeks. This year, the Holiday Heroes campaign provided presents to 2,816 youth.
Purchasing gifts for their children during the holiday season is a heavy financial burden for many families throughout Middle Tennessee. Volunteer shoppers are paired with wish lists of youth served by
LifeSet participants enjoyed their holiday party bowling and opening gifts from Holiday Heroes.
Youth Villages’ communitybased programs to ensure they receive exactly what they want.
Volunteers ranged from individuals sponsoring one child to our largest corporate sponsor, TechnologyAdvice, who takes a morning out of the office with their team to shop for 400 wish lists together.
Shunday Wright, a LifeSet Scholar, shared with WSMV News Nashville that she has been receiving gifts from Holiday Heroes since she came into foster care at 13 years old.
“I was shocked, because normally you would expect to get like maybe socks or clothes or something, so I
was really surprised I got the flat iron I asked for,” Wright said.
Foster parents Dominique and Kevin Gill also had the opportunity to share their experience on the news. They have been welcoming kids into their home for seven years and said there has never been a Christmas when everyone didn’t get exactly what they asked for from their Holiday Heroes.
“They did a lot,” D. Gill said. “They got them everything they asked for down to football gloves and bicycles. As a parent, it makes me feel good because we want everybody to get what they want every Christmas.”
JULY 1 – DEC. 31, 2024
$50,000 to $99,999
Anonymous
Anonymous
Marlene and Spencer Hays Foundation
TechnologyAdvice
$25,000 to $49,999
Anonymous
Clayton Potter Foundation
The HCA Foundation
$10,000 to $24,999
Amazon Operations Center of Excellence
Carlson Family Foundation
Carolyn Smith Foundation
Julian Fox
Garden Gate Foundation
Jackson®
Nashville Ready Mix
Snell Family Charitable Foundation
Laura Stasko
Tennessee Football, LLC (Tennessee Titans)
Yarbrough Family Foundation
$5,000 to $9,999
AHEAD
Farmers Insurance Exchange
Fishel Family Foundation
Ronnie Frost
Genesco, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. William Hamburg
Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Speyer
The Arbor Rouge Foundation
The HCA Foundation
The Strickland Foundation
Mr. Kevin Thompson
Twin Lakes
United Way of Maury County
$1,000 to $4,999
Leticia Acosta
Anonymous
Mr. and Mrs. J. Hunter Atkins
Kevin Baker
Michael Bradshaw
Churchill Foundation
Cooper Family Charitable Foundation Inc
Corinne H. Dale Family Foundation
Dell, Inc.
Fridrich & Clark Realty, LLC
Jack Gallagher
Lincoln Gardner
GEODIS Foundation Inc
Angie Gore
Dr. and Mrs. John Greer
Olivia Hellman
Horatio B. and Willie D. Buntin Foundation
Hunt Brothers Pizza/DBH Distributing LLC
Inga Casha Interiors
Eva and Ricky Johnson
Kroger
Regina Lind
Amanda and Benjamin Madonia
Shannon and Ryan Millen
Pella Nashville
Robert Penick
PMC Cares
Vicki Primm
Reliance Heating and Air
Renaissance Charitable Foundation Inc.
Reynolds Family Giving Fund
Rogers Group, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Clark Rollins
Mr. David Taylor
TechnologyAdvice
Tennessee Soccer Club
The Dreambuilders Foundation, Inc.
The Jewish Federation of Nashville & Middle Tennessee
The McLeroy Foundation
The Stratton Foster Charitable Foundation
Ticket to Dream Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Townsend
Dr. David Trenner
Volunteer Corporate Credit Union
Lorraine Ware
Elizabeth Washko
Whitehall Benefits, LLC
Ashley Wilson
WP Parents ERG
Charles Yingling
Mr. And Mrs. Knox Walkup
Liz Washko
Kelsey Webster
Luke Wilkinson
THERE ARE NUMEROUS WAYS YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR CHILDREN
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES IN YOUTH VILLAGES’ PROGRAMS.
Mentor, foster, volunteer or financially donate to our programs. Your support can have a direct impact on the future of the hundreds of children, families and young people we help every day in Middle Tennessee.
Learn more about donating or designating.
Rae Ryan, Director of Development of Middle Tennessee rae.ryan@youthvillages.org | 615-250-7207
1. GIVE A ONE-TIME OR MONTHLY GIFT ONLINE AT YOUTHVILLAGES.ORG/MIDDLE-TENNESSEE
Check to see if your employer will match your gift!
2. SEND A CHECK IN THE ENVELOPE INCLUDED OR MAIL TO:
Youth Villages
Attn: Rae Ryan, Director of Development of Middle Tennessee 3310 Perimeter Hill Drive | Nashville, TN 37211
3. RECOMMEND A GRANT FROM YOUR DONOR ADVISED FUND THROUGH YOUR FUND ADMINISTRATOR
When granting through your DAF, use this information: Tax ID: 62-1652079
Mailing Address:
Youth Villages | Attn: Middle Tennessee 3320 Brother Blvd. | Memphis, TN 38133
Please advise Rae Ryan if you make a DAF gift to ensure it directly supports youth in our region.
4. GIVE A GIFT OF STOCK
Youth Villages Fidelity DTC Number: 0226 Account Number: Z7388858 Attn: For Middle Tennessee
Have your stock advisor notify Rae Ryan about your gift a to ensure it directly supports youth in our region.
5. FROM YOUR IRA
If you are 70 ½ or over, you can give any amount (maximum up to $100,000) per year from your IRA directly to a qualified charity such as Youth Villages Middle Tennessee without having to pay income taxes on the money. Gifts of any value of $100,000 or less are eligible for this benefit, and you can feel good knowing you are making a difference. This popular gift option is commonly called the “IRA charitable rollover,” but you may also see it referred to as a “qualified charitable distribution” or QCD.
Have your stock advisor notify Rae Ryan about your gift at rae.ryan@ youthvillages.org to ensure it directly supports youth in our region.
GET INVOLVED
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS, FRIEND IN NEED
Greg Schott, Asst. Dir. of Development greg.schott@youthvillages.org 615-250-7262
CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS, MAJOR GIFTS
Lyndsay Wilkinson, Asst. Dir. of Development lyndsay.wilkinson@youthvillages.org 615-250-7278
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES, “HEROES” CAMPAIGNS
Julie Abbott, Community Development Manager julie.abbott@youthvillages.org 615-250-7266
STEWARDSHIP, MAJOR GIFTS
Bailey Saunders, Development & Stewardship Manager bailey.saunders@youthvillages.org 615-250-7263
STAY IN TOUCH ONLINE
instagram.com/youthvillages facebook.com/youthvillages
youtube.com/youthvillages linkedin.com/company/youth-villages x.com/youthvillages
3310 Perimeter Hill Drive
Nashville, TN 37211
Youth Villages is a private nonprofit that serves more than 43,000 children and their families each year from the following cities and states:
Alabama: Auburn
Arizona: Phoenix
Arkansas: Fayetteville, Little Rock
Florida: Lakeland
Georgia: Atlanta, Douglasville
Indiana: Bloomington, Columbus, Indianapolis
Kentucky: Lexington, Louisville
Louisiana: Metairie
Maine: Portland
Massachusetts: Boston, Marlborough, Springfield, Raynham, Woburn
Mississippi: Biloxi, Greenwood, Hattiesburg, Hernando, Jackson, Meridian, Tupelo
New Hampshire: Manchester, Plymouth
North Carolina: Asheville, Boone, Charlotte, Fayetteville, Greensboro, Greenville, Louisburg, Raleigh-Durham, Waynesville, Wilmington
Ohio: Dayton, Worthington
Oklahoma: Oklahoma City, Tulsa
Oregon: Bend, Portland, Salem
South Carolina: Columbia, Rock Hill
Rhode Island: Providence
Tennessee: Chattanooga, Clarksville, Columbia, Cookeville, Dickson, Dyersburg, Jackson, Johnson City, Knoxville, Memphis, Morristown, Nashville, Paris
Washington, D.C.
(Address Service Requested) New Heights Middle Tennessee is published by Youth Villages Prefer not to receive a printed newsletter? Email Lyndsay.Wilkinson@youthvillages.org or call 615-250-7278. To also receive a digital copy of our newsletters and join our email list, sign up at youthvillages.org/stay-informed.