New Fund To Help Former Foster Youth Climb Capitol Hill

Selected Congressional Interns from Across America Get a Start on Professional Life

"Because Potential Only Matters If You Use It"

WASHINGTON, June 2, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Former foster youth interning in Congress this summer will get a little help from the Sara Start Fund for Foster Youth, a new venture announced today by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI). With partners including Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Under Armour and matchbox food group, the Sara Start Fund is designed to help former foster youth get a start on their professional lives by providing a stipend for a business wardrobe and informal career counseling.  The Phillips Collection art museum will provide special enrichment activities.

The Sara Start Fund will work in tandem with CCAI's Foster Youth Internship (FYI) program, which places former foster youth in congressional offices to advocate for the 463,000 youth currently in care across the country. Interns in the program must attend college and demonstrate leadership skills on campus.

"One of the main goals of the FYI program is to remind policymakers and those around them that youth who grow up in foster care are like any other youth in that they have hopes, dreams, and most importantly, enormous potential. The Sara Start Fund is one way we can invest in that potential and what I know for sure is that society will be the ultimate beneficiaries of this investment," said Kathleen Strottman, CCAI's executive director.

Most of these interns have spent the majority of their young lives in foster care, having become adults in the system, never finding a permanent family of their own. They arrive in Washington without the financial wherewithal or support system of their peers, but are no less accomplished.  They have already beaten significant odds: a mere 3 percent of youth from the system graduate from college.

The Sara Start Fund, named after beloved grandmother and child advocate Sara Rosenberg, is designed to help level the playing field a bit. "Most of us have family support to help smooth over the big transitions in life," said Lindsay Ellenbogen, advisory board member and founder of the Sara Start Fund. "When these interns came into adulthood from foster care, they didn't have someone to help them move into an apartment or help decide what to wear for their first real job interview. In my family, that 'someone' was my Grandma Sara.  Our goal here is to help fill that gap, even if just a little."

The 2011 class of foster youth interns will be the first for the Sara Start Fund. Ellenbogen, CCAI and the program's career-wear, athletic wear and cultural partners are thrilled to welcome them to Washington.

"We are proud to welcome these interns to Washington and look forward to helping them prepare for their new roles with expert fashion advice from our team of personal shoppers from Macy's By Appointment," said Samuel Muscarella, vice president and store manager of Macy's Metro Center.  "Part of that preparation is learning how to dress for work on Capitol Hill so they can arrive confident and ready for the road ahead."

"We could not be more thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate with such a worthy cause," said Arif Boysan, general manager of Bloomingdale's Chevy Chase.  "We are delighted to partner with such a wonderful organization that supports our youth's education and helps develop our leaders of tomorrow."

"Art is one important way to share the energy, insight and diversity of our community," said George Vradenburg, chairman of The Phillips Collection Board of Trustees. "We are proud to welcome these interns to Washington, D.C. and hope to enrich their experience as they spend their summer here."

The interns arrive on the Hill during the first week in June. Follow their climb on Twitter @sarastartfund and visit http://www.ccainstitute.org/our-programs/foster-youth-internship/sara-start-fund.html to get involved.  Sara Start Fund for Foster Youth…because potential only matters if you use it!

Quick Facts about the Foster Youth Internship Class of 2011

Foster Youth Interns hail from the following states:

California, Florida, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Washington

And Wisconsin

And will be interning in the following offices:

Sen. Roy Blunt

Sen. Jim DeMint

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

Sen. Chuck Grassley

Sen. John Kerry

Sen. Mary Landrieu

Sen. Harry Reid

Majority Senate Finance Committee

Minority Senate Finance Committee

House Committee on Ways and Means, Majority

Rep. Michele Bachmann

Rep. Karen Bass

Rep. Jim McDermott

Rep. Adrian Smith

Rep. Joe Wilson

SOURCE Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute