{"id":15813,"date":"2010-08-27T10:15:58","date_gmt":"2010-08-27T17:15:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stage.headlessnauedu-b6hgdzckfdgxgzhe.westus-01.azurewebsites.net\/?p=15813"},"modified":"2016-05-11T07:59:02","modified_gmt":"2016-05-11T14:59:02","slug":"fostering-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/fostering-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Fostering success"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Blavin<\/a>
Founders of the Blavin Scholar Program met Thursday with three of four students chosen to begin the program at NAU.
From left are: Amy Blavin, Sharon Downer, Kyle Beloin, Jose Lopez and Paul Blavin.
Photo by Charlie McCallie<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n

Scottsdale couple increases
\n<\/strong>the odds for students<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Paul Blavin describes himself and his wife, Amy, as having come from \u201cintact families.\u201d\u00a0 He was never a foster child, nor was Amy. Yet the Blavins have made it their personal goal to guide the newly independent lives of aged-out foster youth onto a path toward success.<\/p>\n

Paul\u2019s interest in helping foster youth evolved from reading David Pelzer\u2019s book, A Child Called \u201cIt,\u201d <\/em>and an article in the Arizona Republic<\/em> about a child in foster care who was locked in a closet and abused.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese children didn\u2019t choose to be in foster care,\u201d Paul said. \u201cThey should have a choice about their future. As wards of the state, they are all our children and our responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n

He joined the Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation in 2001 and began establishing scholarship programs for youth around the country. The Blavins\u2019 outreach program begins at Northern Arizona University this fall.<\/p>\n

An entrepreneur with a bachelor\u2019s degree from University of Michigan and a master\u2019s degree from Harvard, Paul Blavin sees education as essential in starting young people on the right track. In his view, foster youth are the most underserved population and stand to gain the greatest from assistance.<\/p>\n

He has confidence that the students chosen for the scholar program will excel.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost notable is that the young adults aging out of the foster care system are often the most functional members of their families,\u201d Blavin said.<\/p>\n

But the odds are stacked against them since only 54 percent of these young adults nationwide will graduate with a high school diploma. Less than 2 percent will earn a bachelor\u2019s degree or higher.<\/p>\n

Paul Blavin is very familiar with the disturbing statistics of what happens to former foster youth. Many face homelessness, incarceration or become young parents.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe statistics are staggering,” he said. “Nearly half of the young women who transition out of foster care to adulthood are pregnant before they hit age 20.\u201d<\/p>\n

Residents of Scottsdale, the Blavins were compelled to roll out their newest scholarship at NAU because of its sense of community. They were seeking a place where the level of support would significantly contribute to the success of former foster youth, and Paul viewed NAU as the perfect environment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe campus community is embracing it right away,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s exciting to see. I want the students to have a positive experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the last eight years, the Blavins have established several scholarship programs around the country and estimate that they have helped more than 30 students graduate with bachelor\u2019s degrees.<\/p>\n

Through their generosity and commitment, the Blavins hope the scholar program will serve as a call-to-action for others. With intentions to continue duplicating the program throughout the country, Paul anticipates that one day the need for help will no longer exist.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a great opportunity for me and Amy,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I would rather we have no foster youth needing this.\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\u2018Aged-out\u2019 young adults dealt a better hand<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Three Northern Arizona University students were eating pizza on Thursday afternoon, involved in rapt conversation about life at NAU.<\/p>\n

Sophomore\u00a0Kyle Beloin<\/strong>\u00a0and freshmen\u00a0Sharon Downer<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Jose Lopez\u00a0<\/strong>discussed move-in day, class schedules and the time it takes to walk from south to north campus. Just like the nearly 4,000 other newcomers to the Flagstaff campus that day, the three blend in, as they should.<\/p>\n

What sets Beloin, Downer and Lopez apart from other students are the odds that have been stacked against them. They are among 20,000 Americans who \u201cage-out\u201d of foster care each year when they turn 18 and find themselves on their own.<\/p>\n

Less than 2 percent of these foster youth make it through a four-year college\u2014the odds are greater that they will end up homeless, unemployed and without medical insurance.<\/p>\n

Lacking a meaningful, lifelong relationship with a caring adult, they will face a life of adversity difficult to surmount.<\/p>\n

But the outlook for these NAU students is much, much brighter. Their success will be due, in part, to a support network created through a new scholar program started by two generous Scottsdale residents who feel compelled to help.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Blavin\/Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation Scholars Program<\/a>\u00a0will offer these students assistance with tution and fees, year-round housing, new laptop computers, on-campus summer employment, faculty mentors, counseling and academic guidance, in addition to other financial assistance. The students were chosen based on specific criteria and through recommendations from the foundation.<\/p>\n

Program founders Paul and Amy Blavin said they started the program because they believe those who age out of foster care are the most underserved population in the country. They chose NAU to continue their effort to help youth because of the support of the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are very few comprehensive programs like this in the country,\u201d Paul said. \u201cHalf a million youth in the United States have aged out of foster care. This is a growth area of the population, unfortunately.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Thursday, the Blavins came to NAU to meet Beloin, Downer and Lopez for the first time. A fourth student supported by the program,\u00a0Jessica Hudson<\/strong>, is studying abroad this year and was unable to attend.<\/p>\n

Introductions were informal, as Amy and Paul are all-too familiar with the students\u2019 circumstances and stories. Amy sat down and asked if they had moved in to their residence halls. Paul shared his expectations and a bit of advice.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuccess falls on your shoulders,\u201d Paul said. \u201cWe will provide support. All we ask of you is that you graduate, and enjoy it in the process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul Blavin sees the university community as the key to the success of the program with the commitment of numerous faculty and staff members. The program gives these students a shot at improving their circumstances by reducing financial barriers, providing guidance and smoothing their path to independence.<\/p>\n

Paul assured the students they will have needs, and the university is prepared to step forward. While a new support system exists for them, the students\u2019 accomplishments will be based on their own hard work.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have the highest degree of confidence that you will succeed and be great ambassadors for our fledgling program,\u201d Paul said. \u201cThis is a fun and exciting time thanks to our pioneer students.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
\n

Four student recipients<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n

Sophomore\u00a0Kyle Beloin<\/strong>\u00a0is double-majoring in philosophy and political science. Over the summer, he spent more than 400 hours improving nearly 100 miles of hiking trails while working with the American Conservation Experience.<\/p>\n

Freshman\u00a0Sharon Downer<\/strong>\u00a0is majoring in forestry. She enjoys outdoor activities and is looking forward to ski and snowboard season in Flagstaff.<\/p>\n

Junior\u00a0Jessica Hudson<\/strong>\u00a0is double-majoring in history and political science. She loves to travel and is studying abroad in England this year.<\/p>\n

Freshman\u00a0Jose Lopez<\/strong>\u00a0is majoring in psychology. After completing his bachelor\u2019s degree, he intends to continue to pursue a master\u2019s in psychology.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Scottsdale couple increases the odds for students Paul Blavin describes himself and his wife, Amy, as having come from \u201cintact families.\u201d\u00a0 He was never a foster child, nor was Amy. Yet the Blavins have made it their personal goal to guide the newly independent lives of aged-out foster youth onto a path toward success. Paul\u2019s…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":15904,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-community"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15813","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/46"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15813"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15813\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15904"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}