By Dr. Maggie Stevens
Guest Columnist
As we move through the holiday season, many of us are preparing to gather with friends, family, and loved ones. These moments of connection – sharing meals, trading stories, simply being together – are part of what make this time of year meaningful.
But for too many teens and young adults who have experienced foster care, these connections don’t come easily. Many step into adulthood without the stable support system most of us take for granted. At Foster Success, we work every day to ensure they don’t have to navigate that transition alone.
That is the heart of our FriendsGiving campaign: building community, connection, and belonging for the young people we serve. And there is no better illustration of that mission than the friendship shared by three remarkable young adults: Ash, Oliver, and Higgy.
Like many of the young people we support, each of them first came to Foster Success through an Independent Living (IL) worker. What they didn’t expect was finding each other. For Oliver, the connection was instantaneous. He recalls seeing Ash across the room and thinking, “I like her vibes.” And when introduced to Higgy, the feeling was simple: “A friend of a friend is my friend.” None of them entered our programs looking for friendship. Yet, as Ash puts it, “The best things happen when you aren’t intentionally looking for it.”
If you ask them how their friendship formed, they’ll tell you it was the moments in between: Uber rides after leadership training, hanging out after meetings, bonding over dark humor and shared playlists. But they’ll also tell you that those moments only existed because donors helped make them possible.
Oliver, who needed transportation support to attend in-person events, shared, “If it weren’t for donors, I wouldn’t have been able to go to anything and wouldn’t have formed the friendships that I did.” Higgy shared Oliver’s sentiment and added, “Without their support, we would not have met in person. Thank you for allowing us to have the camaraderie that we do.”
At Foster Success, we see this every day. When young people have access to safe gatherings, supportive adults, and opportunities to learn, grow, and simply be together, community forms naturally. Trust develops and lifelong friendships take root.
FriendsGiving supports Foster Success programs such as our Basic Needs program, which provides emergency financial assistance and access to essentials such as food, clothing, hygiene products, and transportation. These supports often prevent crises that can derail a young adult’s stability. But they also create connections and build a sense of belonging.
When young people can afford transportation to a meeting, when they can show up to events feeling safe and supported, they meet people like them. People who become friends and chosen family. That’s what your generosity makes possible.
As you gather with your own family and friends this holiday season, I invite you to keep the spirit of FriendsGiving with you. Your support ensures that young people like Ash, Oliver, and Higgy have not only their basic needs met, but a community that walks alongside them today and for years to come. Because friendship isn’t just a gift. For these young adults, it is a foundation, a future, and a lifeline. And you can help build it.
Dr. Maggie Stevens, of Indianapolis, is the President & CEO of Foster Success. More information about Foster Success can be found at fostersuccess.org.