Donor Stories
Behind every young person’s success is a community of supporters who believe in possibility. Meet two donors from very different backgrounds whose generosity has helped create brighter futures and lasting change.
It takes a village: Long-time Foster Success Donor Continues Support with Legacy Gift
“I’ve been affiliated with many organizations as a volunteer over the past 50 years, and none do it better than Foster Success."
— Grace Worley, Foster Success Donor and former Board Member
Growing up the oldest of 12, Grace understood the significance of support from an early age. She took on a parental role for her siblings. Her home had a revolving door of young people from the community passing through, each with their own challenges.
“Sometimes they stayed a few days, sometimes for much longer. All of them lacked the family and situational support to help them navigate their various issues,” she said.
The experience shaped Grace’s belief that a well-placed hand or words of encouragement can guide a young person towards their own success.
When Grace entered retirement, she sought out volunteer opportunities to continue making a difference in young peoples’ lives. The search led her to Foster Success, where she began volunteering and learned about the programs designed to actively support young people transitioning to adulthood.
“I’ve been affiliated with many organizations as a volunteer over the past 50 years, and none do it better than Foster Success,” she said.
As her involvement deepened, Grace served on the Foster Success Board of Directors for five years. During that time, her understanding of the needs of older foster youth evolved. She became profoundly aware of how the foster care system can disrupt their lives — mentally and physically.
She was equally impressed by the energy and drive of the young people she met at Foster Success events. Their path to self-sufficiency served as evidence of the organization’s role in empowering them to build a productive future and pursue their dreams.
Grace continues to volunteer and invest in Foster Success. The organization’s growth in expertise, program expansion, and national reputation motivated her to sustain its impact through a legacy gift.
“Leaving a legacy to Foster Success as part of my estate planning is my way of supporting precious young people beyond my own life,” she said.
Her gift ensures Foster Success remains a leader in advocating and supporting older foster youth as they navigate everyday challenges, often alone.
Foster Success’s President & CEO, Maggie Stevens, said Grace’s legacy gift demonstrates her trust in the work and vision of the organization.
“Grace is a dedicated partner in our work. Her commitment to our young people and her willingness to step up whenever and wherever Foster Success needs her has built a strong foundation that will help sustain our work for years to come,” said Maggie.
Grace sees her gift as a vital stepping stone to support young people to thrive and urge others to take part in their community.
“As it is said, ‘it takes a village to raise a child,” Grace said. “I encourage others to join the Foster Success village.”
From Foster Care to Fierce Leader:
How Jacey is Paying it Forward
Jacey was in the same spot. She wished she had someone to tell her she could do whatever she wanted in life — someone to tell her to not give up. But she didn't. At just 18, she aged out of foster care and was thrust into adulthood.
When she asked about options for support, she was told there weren’t any. Jacey spent the majority of her college experience researching opportunities, but they often came too late. In the second semester of her senior year, she decided to give it one more shot. That’s when she found Foster Success.
Jacey jumped in — forming pivotal relationships through an ETV support group. The group supported students with similar backgrounds to Jacey’s. She also enrolled in Foster Success’s Opportunity Passport® program, which helps young people learn how to manage their finances and save in addition to accessing matched savings funds of up to $3,500. As she worked through the program, she began to see the tangible benefits — from help correcting inaccurate payment histories, which improved her credit score, to joining a program for Black participants to ensure she got her match.
“I have a muscle I’ve created and I know how to do it now,” she said. “It drastically changed my financial future.”
In 2021, Jacey applied to be a peer mentor for the then newly created Works Wonders® program. Including peer mentors in Foster Success programs allows a young person to connect with someone who has been through what they’ve been through. Jacey’s experiences allowed her to elevate the materials for those in the program, as she listened to each of their stories and learned their unique struggles.
“Your focus is to improve the lives of the people in the room, not necessarily just get through the material,” she said.
Since then, she’s been a pioneer at Foster Success in shaping leadership and mentor opportunities for older foster youth. Jacey helped to shape the LEAD Ambassador program, a group of experienced young people committed to improving the lives of their peers. They must demonstrate proven skills to earn this role and they receive ongoing training to ensure they are strong advocates and public speakers.
“I’ve been very grateful they’ve found a way to keep us involved,” Jacey said. “They kept inviting me back to grow the material but also to check on how I’m doing.”
As a LEAD Ambassador, participated in TV interviews and has spoken at numerous donor and community events. Each experience has been a chance to connect, and reclaim parts of her story she once found embarrassing. Becoming a mentor and leader at Foster Success has allowed her to show up for others, but her generosity hasn’t stopped there.
When she aged out of Foster Success at 26, Jacey was determined to give back financially.
“When I was at my lowest — when I was struggling really bad — Foster Success was there to stop me from hitting rock bottom,” she said. “I used it at one point, and I want to make sure other people can use it and nothing is a barrier to that.”
Whether it’s a young person avoiding social interactions because they don’t have access to basic hygiene items or who just moved into their first apartment but can’t furnish it — Jacey sees how even the smallest contributions are the difference between hopelessness and hope.
“It’s being able to give someone a sense of dignity,” she said.
In addition to being a donor herself, she signed up Foster Success as part of her employer’s giving back program, which has supported Foster Success’s annual FriendsGiving campaign.
Jacey looks forward to continuing to develop in her roles and expanding ways to keep those who age out of Foster Success involved. She hopes foster youth know to keep knocking at the door of opportunities, even when it seems like they won’t get an answer.
