Through the help of Dwight Johnson and the Verne C. Johnson Family Foundation’s $20,000 donation, as well as the support from the Town of Fountain Hills CARES Grant of $5,000, Foster Your Future (FYF) has facilitated important achievements for three young adults this year.

Aaliyah Smith has been involved with FYF for only a few months, but said the impact on her life has been tremendous.

“I’ve been able to do a lot of things that I normally wouldn’t be able to do,” Smith said, who is a junior at Arizona State University studying pre-law.

With the help of FYF, she obtained a passport and a scholarship to help pay for her college tuition.

“It’s really helping with a lot of things I personally would not be able to do otherwise,” she added.

Sandy Guiney, a former bus driver for the Fountain Hills Unified School District, has been Smith’s mentor and unofficial driving instructor.

“I drove the special needs school bus for 11 years and one of the things that I learned was how important it is for new drivers to know how to change a tire, how to change the fluids in the car and how it all works,” Guiney said.

She put together a checklist which includes information on all the things needed to own a car: license, registration, title and insurance.

Founder of FYF Ginny Paulsen loved the idea and made it into a “car-care guide” for all new driving students that come through FYF.

“I was very pleased that she got her learners permit so quickly,” Guiney said of Smith, who would often study with Guiney when they would go out for lunch together. “Sandy is very nice and knowledgeable about so many things,” Smith said of her mentor. “I loved working her.”

Shalimar Mixson came to FYF three years ago, eviction notice in hand, after her roommate had stolen her laptop and clothes, leaving without paying rent. At the time of her eviction, Shalimar was in a nursing program and working full time.

During a dark time in her life, FYF stepped in to support Mixson, supplementing her rent and providing her with a laptop and clothes.

With mentorship and financial support, FYF has allowed Mixson to refocus on her goals. She recently passed her RN boards and is ready to start a career as a nurse.

“With persistence and a lot of hard work and studies, she did it,” Paulsen wrote.

Another young adult of FYF is Samuel Barlue, who needed his final credential to obtain his U.S. citizenship. After having difficulty obtaining his Liberian birth certificate, Barlue is finally an American citizen.

“Ginny has helped me with my ID, social card and citizen card replacement,” Barlue wrote of Paulsen. “[She is] very supportive in dream building and education.”

Barlue is well on his way to complete his GED and can begin working toward his commercial driver license.

“With no family to depend on, Foster Your Future becomes their family,” Paulsen writes. “This ensures their success, so these young adults can become stable and live fulfilling lives as they contribute to our society.”

Between organizers like Paulsen, volunteer mentors like Guiney and generous donors, FYF continues to provide an important service to homeless and fostered young adults.

Foster Your Future is an Arizona based, non-profit, 501(c)(3) charitable organization. For information on FYF, their purpose and other youth success stories, visit their website at fosteryourfuture.org. For FYF material, self-addressed envelopes or to learn more about becoming a FYF mentor, contact Ginny Paulsen at 602-478-5850 or send an email to Ginny@FosterYourFuture.Org.