JBAY Helps Youth Get Back on Track with Employment Assistance
Before the pandemic hit, Christina was on-track, attending Bakersfield College and working part-time as an aide to Kern County Supervisor Mick Gleason. While she was busy working and studying during the day, her small children were safely in childcare. As a former foster youth, her journey to adulthood had been a challenging one. She was […]
Jbay Transforms Helplessness Into Hope
“Because of you, I had the opportunity to make a positive difference in my students’ lives. Because of you, many are safe with a roof over their heads.” This is what we heard recently from Rosemary Touyanou at Santiago Canyon College in Orange, California. Rosemary contacted John Burton Advocates for Youth to express her thanks […]
JBAY Housing Complex: A Shelter in the Storm During COVID-19
‘Aging out’ of foster care is a challenge under the best of circumstances. Now add in the impacts of a global pandemic and devastated economy. It would be hard to imagine a more difficult time to be young—and without the support of an extended family. Fortunately, 24 former foster youth in San Francisco have a […]
JBAY Advances College Success – One Book at a Time
“This past year, I not only passed my classes but was able to significantly improve my grades thanks to the Burton Book Fund,” said Aja Dunlap, a former foster youth and junior at Sacramento State University. Aja is one of the 1,000 current and former foster youth served by the Burton Book Fund in the […]
JBAY Receives ‘One in a Million Award’ for Moving Youth Out of Poverty
John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) has been recognized with a ‘One in A Million Award’ from Multiplying Good. The award was for JBAY’s work helping foster youth maximize their tax refunds this year, which resulted in more than two thousand foster youth receiving a combined four million dollars in refunds. “Filing for taxes is always a confusing […]
Unintended Pregnancy is Three Times Higher for Foster Youth; JBAY is Changing That
Sexuality can be one of the most uncomfortable topics for parents to discuss with their teenage children. Now imagine being a foster parent of a teen, building a relationship, helping them succeed in school, and addressing the trauma they have experienced. Where does the topic of reproductive health and sex fall into that list? Sadly, for […]
JBAY Helps Secure Housing for Homeless Youth on 30 Campuses
Students across California are preparing for the start of college, largely from the comfort of their parents’ home, due to the pandemic. Statewide, an estimated 2.4 million college students will receive their education remotely for the fall semester. But what about students who have no home? They also have no family to offer free rent, […]
Foster Youth Outpaces Peers in College Ais Applications for the First Time
Thanks to a campaign by John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY), foster youth are accessing millions of additional dollars for college. In fact, JBAY’s FAFSA Challenge has been so successful that foster youth are now applying for college aid at far higher levels than their peers, after years of lagging behind them. “My dream is […]
From Horse to Stable to Housing Stability: JBAY Steps in When it Counts
James was a student in community college, struggling to turn his life around after a childhood spent in foster care. He was living in a horse stable in Orange County with his biological father, surrounded by drugs and prostitution. He was making good progress despite this and had found a job and was saving up […]