We are deeply saddened by the passing of John Burton on Sunday. In keeping with his vision and commitment to young people, the book launch events for I Yell Because I Care will move forward as planned.
Join us as we gather to celebrate the release of John’s memoir and launch the John Burton Fellowship, a new initiative that will place young people with lived experience of foster care and homelessness in the Capitol to help shape California’s future.
San Francisco
Wednesday, September 17
5:30 – 7:30 PM
📍 Bimbo’s 365 Club, 1025 Columbus Avenue. Please click here to register for the San Francisco event.
These gatherings will bring our community together to honor John’s legacy and move the work forward. We invite you to stand with us in celebrating this milestone and supporting the next generation of leaders through the John Burton Fellowship.
For more information on sponsorship opportunities, please contact Alex Mallick: [email protected] or call 415-518-2127.
To make a meaningful impact, please consider donating, sponsoring, or purchasing a ticket(s) to our event(s). You may donate via our donation page, purchase a ticket to attend our one or both of our events on the event registration page, or by sending a check payable to “John Burton Advocates for Youth” at 235 Montgomery St, Suite 1142, San Francisco, CA 94104. JBAY is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Tax ID # 81-2600695. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Join John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) for this “how-to” webinar to assist adult supporters working with foster youth and unaccompanied homeless youth to successfully complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application (CADAA). The webinar will review the FAFSA and CADAA, page by page, including detailed instructions on how eligible students can qualify as independent students for the purposes of maximizing financial aid. Presenters will also provide information on key steps to take after the FAFSA or CADAA is completed, such as creating a WebGrants account and calming a CalKIDS college savings account. In addition, the webinar will provide important updates on relevant state and federal policies.
In 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 789 (Berman) into law, requiring California’s colleges and universities to align their Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policies with minimum federal standards. Institutions were expected to implement these changes by the start of the 2024–2025 academic year. This shift carries important implications for equity, policy, and practice across the state.
To explore these impacts, John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) will host a webinar on Wednesday, August 20th focused on the equity implications of AB 789 and SAP reform. This session will highlight findings from JBAY’s multiyear SAP policy analysis, student-level data from the California Community Colleges, and insights from leading financial aid practitioners in California. The webinar will coincide with the release of JBAY’s SAP Practitioner Brief, offering strategic guidance for institutional implementation.
Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how institutions are implementing AB 789, what the data reveals about student outcomes, and how policy and practice can better support foster youth and other vulnerable student populations.
We are deeply saddened by the passing of John Burton on Sunday. In keeping with his vision and commitment to young people, the book launch events for I Yell Because I Care will move forward as planned.
Join us as we gather to celebrate the release of John’s memoir and launch the John Burton Fellowship, a new initiative that will place young people with lived experience of foster care and homelessness in the Capitol to help shape California’s future.
San Francisco
Wednesday, September 17
5:30 – 7:30 PM
📍 Bimbo’s 365 Club, 1025 Columbus Avenue. Please click here to register for the San Francisco event.
These gatherings will bring our community together to honor John’s legacy and move the work forward. We invite you to stand with us in celebrating this milestone and supporting the next generation of leaders through the John Burton Fellowship.
For more information on sponsorship opportunities, please contact Alex Mallick: [email protected] or call 415-518-2127.
To make a meaningful impact, please consider donating, sponsoring, or purchasing a ticket(s) to our event(s). You may donate via our donation page, purchase a ticket to attend our one or both of our events on the event registration page, or by sending a check payable to “John Burton Advocates for Youth” at 235 Montgomery St, Suite 1142, San Francisco, CA 94104. JBAY is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Tax ID # 81-2600695. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
This event is intended to acknowledge and celebrate current and former foster youth in LA County who have earned an Associate’s degree, Bachelor’s degree, or have completed a certificate program during the 2024-25 academic year.
In addition to celebrating their success, we will be offering a buffet luncheon and ceremony where graduates will receive an award and a special gift in recognition of their incredible accomplishments.
Please register by May 23, 2025.
In 2021, JBAY embarked on Project 3,500 with the goal of expanding state resources for housing to reach at least 3,500 youth. California has made new investments in housing for youth leaving the foster care system, acknowledging the increased risk of homelessness and disproportionate impact of the state’s housing crisis on this population. As a result of these investments, California’s capacity to serve former foster youth through supportive transitional housing and federal housing vouchers has increased by 70% since 2021, reaching more than 3,700 youth at a moment in time.
This webinar will mark the release of a report by JBAY discussing this increase in capacity, related findings and recommendations. Information for the report was drawn from publicly available data, a statewide survey of county child welfare agencies, and interviews of county child welfare representatives and service providers.
