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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Foster Youth Jobs Program Reflects on First Year

It has been one year since Kathleen Mosqueda joined the pest control business of Agoura Hills real estate management company Strategic Acquisitions Inc. What has Mosqueda, a former foster youth in Ventura County’s child welfare system, learned in her time on the job? “At first it was challenging for me to adapt to working in a professional corporate environment but it has definitely made me a better person,” Mosqueda said. “I now see that I can achieve my goals and ambitions that I never thought possible.” Mosqueda is one of two participants in a pilot program called “Hope2Work,” an offshoot of Strategic Acquisitions Chief Operating Officer Tony Hershman’s Westlake Village nonprofit Hopegivers International Inc. The initiative aims to provide young adults who have recently aged out of the foster care system with housing and work experience, two critical components in preventing them from joining the more than half of former foster youth who end up homeless or imprisoned, according to statistics from Alliance for Children’s Rights in Los Angeles. “If we don’t change not just their thought process, but their economics, we won’t break the cycle,” Hershman said. Hope2Work is a joint effort by Strategic Acquisitions and two Ventura County nonprofits devoted to improving the lives of foster youth, Women of Substance & Men of Honor and VC Foster Kids. A third nonprofit, James Storehouse Inc. in Newbury Park, supplied home goods to outfit participants’ condos, which were donated by Strategic Acquisitions investors. Hershman’s sister Tiffany Windsor, who serves as vice president of marketing and communications at Strategic Acquisitions, works one-on-one with participants to help them cultivate job skills. She also assists them with grocery shopping and other activities. “I actually did more than I originally expected to,” Windsor said. “There was a lot of involvement both inside and outside the business.” The program’s first year came with trials for participants and mentors alike, Hershman and Windsor said. The program began with three youth, one of whom dropped out. “I think it was very much an educational experience for us to shepherd these first two kids through the program,” Hershman said. “It showed us what we’ll need to do in order to roll it out on a larger level.” He hopes that offering participants training before they start their jobs will ease the transition – and might entice other businesses to join Hope2Work as employment partners. Charity Tournament The 2017 Semtech Corp. Charity Golf Tournament was a hole-in-one for two local charities. The Camarillo semiconductor manufacturer raised $77,000 from its fifth annual tournament, which took place June 16 at the River Ridge Golf Course in Oxnard. The proceeds were split between Raisinghope Inc., an advocacy organization for foster care youth, and Interface Children and Family Services, which provides social services to 24,000 area clients. Semtech’s decision to benefit Raisinghope came as a pleasant surprise to nonprofit Executive Director Tamalani Barnett, an attorney who has represented kids and families in the child welfare system for more than a decade. The nonprofit provides thousands of local youth with money for ancillary expenses like extracurricular activities, tutoring and college textbooks. “We’re a gap-filler, so to speak,” Barnett said. Her organization was chosen as a beneficiary of the golf tournament funds after a Semtech community relations officer heard Barnett tell Raisinghope’s story at an event. “We’ve been really impressed by Semtech and the efforts they’ve made to volunteer their time and give back,” Barnett said. Sponsors of the golf tournament included O’Melveny & Myers, Alliant Employee Benefits and Deloitte & Touche. New Barn A frantic fundraiser to save a herd of cows from slaughter led to a new St. Louis shelter last month for Santa Clarita nonprofit Gentle Barn. After learning that six cows had escaped from a Missouri slaughterhouse, the organization sprang into action to raise money to buy a barn through a campaign on Gofundme.com, an online fundraising platform. Celebrity and athlete supporters – including Tori Spelling, Rick Springfield and L.A. Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw – reached out to fans on social media. Gentle Barn’s campaign received contributions from more than 5,000 donors. Matched donations of $50,000 from a couple of supporters brought the total to $400,000. “We’re so excited to create a location in St. Louis and want to thank everyone who contributed to the campaign,” Gentle Barn Co-founder Ellie Laks said in a statement. The cows will become ambassadors in the nonprofit’s program for those with special needs. Staff Reporter Helen Floersh can be reached at (818) 312-3121 or [email protected].

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