Graduation Issue 2014
Fostering Success! James 1:12 “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
M
any foster youth are very resilient; in spite of their stress and adversity, they become strong, self-reliant and determined. If given the same opportunities and supports as other young people, they can and do achieve great success. By the time she was 18 years old, Mahogany, a recent graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania had lived in several foster homes and attended multiple schools. She and her two siblings were placed with their aunt when Mahogany was only three years old after their biological mother went to jail. Unfortunately that living arrangement did not work out and the siblings were placed in foster care after one year. Because of the chaos, and family history of alcoholism and
Mahogany Harrington on her graduation day at Indiana University of Pennsylvania
CLASS OF 2014
drug use, Mahogany states, “it it weren’t for foster care and the guidance and support I received, I don’t know where I would be today.” A four year recipient of Bair’s Edward B. Massey Jr. Scholarship, Mahogany recently received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance from IUP. She is proud of her achievements but also credits her former Bair casemanagers for encouraging her to go to college in the first place; something she never dreamed would be possible for someone like her who had spend most of her childhood in foster care. In one of her earlier scholarship essays, Mahogany stated that she wanted to be the one who broke the cycle of poverty and addiction. Congratulations, Mahogany, you did exactly that!
The Bair Foundation Receives National COA Re-Accreditation
T
he Bair Foundation has achieved national re-accreditation through the New York-based Council on Accreditation (COA) for the fourth time. The Bair Foundation received exceptional scores when chosen offices, staff, and services were evaluated. Some of the comments the peer reviewers made were “The Foster Care program is very impressive”, “In-Home Services were Awesome”, “We are very impressed with your mental health staff that are very enthusiastic and professional”, “Staff and Families are very passionate about what
they do”, “H.R. Department was exceptional”, “Finances are well-managed” and “Ethics were higher than most non-profits.” To achieve COA accreditation, The Bair Foundation first provided written evidence of compliance with the COA Standards. Thereafter, a group of specially trained volunteer Peer Reviewers confirmed adherence to these standards during a series of on-site interviews with trustees, staff and clients. Based on their findings, COA’s volunteerbased Accreditation Commission voted that The Bair Foundation had successfully met the criteria for re-accreditation.
A special “Thanks” was given to Sheila Palonen, Director of Program Standards for all the hard work she put into the process & preparation that took months.