FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEPress Contact:Mary Ann Copas
April 22, 2015(505) 480-0482
NONPROFIT OFFERS EDUCATIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS FOR TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS
WHO ARE CURRENT OR FORMER NEW MEXICO FOSTER KIDS
Scholarships for Post-High School Education or Training; Deadline to Apply is June 1
(New Mexico) Teens and young adults who spent time in the state’s foster care system are eligible for scholarships of up to $1000 toward expenses related to community college or university education, a specialized training program, an internship, study abroad, or other education or training program. The deadline to apply is June 1, and the application is available online at
“New Mexico took a big step forward last year with the Foster Care System Student Tuition Waiver Act, which waives tuition and fees for young people who age out of our foster care system and want to attend a state college,” says Judy Flynn-O’Brien, president of NMFFC. “But books and supplies cost money, and the Act does not cover everything. “Although many young adults can turn to their parents for help after they leave home for college or post-high school training,teens leaving foster care do not have anyone to provide this support,” Flynn-O’Brien says.
The scholarships are intended, Flynn-O’Brien says, to help put educational opportunities within reach of New Mexico’s foster children. “For some of these teens, they need a nudge, a hand up, someone who believes in them to make the transition to adulthood less daunting. New Mexico’s kids have enormous potential, and NMFFC wants to see them thrive.”
NMFFC has a twelve-year history of helping foster children in need. At all ages, children who have been removed from their homes and placed in foster care need extra care and support. For many, the basics taken for granted by most kids are unavailable -- they may have had to leave toys, schoolwork, clothing, and books behind when they went into foster care, they may have left their friends, their community, their interests and activities.
“That’s where New Mexico Friends of Foster Children steps in,” says Flynn-O’Brien. Private donations from concerned community members help to support a foster care fund that is designed to provide kids with the extras that help them to be kids. “Foster parents and children write in asking for everything from tutoring to soccer cleats to dance lessons to school field trips,” says Flynn-O’Brien. “It’s our job to help fill these gaps in kids’ lives and make it possible for them to fit in and grow.”
NMFFC fulfills requests from throughout the state on a small budget supported by private individuals and organizations. Applications for non-scholarship needsmay be submitted at any time and generally are reviewed within three weeks.
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About NMFFC
Founded in 2003, New Mexico Friends of Foster Children is a NM 501(c)(3) dedicated to improving the lives of New Mexico’s children in foster care. NMFFC works with community volunteers, CYFD, and foster parents to help provide for the emotional, educational, and social needs of children who’ve been removed from their homes and placed in foster care. To contact NMFFC, call (505) 480-0482, mailP.O. Box 25356, Albuquerque NM 87125-0356, or visit
About Children in Foster Care in New Mexico
Each day in New Mexico, there are six children entering the foster system because of abuse and neglect; of those six, three will remain in the system long-term. The number of children in foster care in New Mexico averages around 2,000 at any given time. While funds are provided by the State to foster families for basic living expenses (food, shelter, clothing, toiletries, transportation), funds are not always available to help kids be kids. Children in foster care range in ages from newborn to 18 years old.Children are in foster care in most communities in New Mexico, no matter the size of the community.
IMAGES AND INTERVIEWS AVAILABLE ON REQUEST.