MAAC- Fill the Gap

With COVID cases surging and community resources stretched to their limits, alumni of foster care are more vulnerable than ever. One young person in our Georgia Empowerment program just had their rent raised and is struggling to come up with the funds in the aftermath of surgery and COVID shutting down their county. Can you give towards emergency rent support for an alumni of foster care?

TODAY is Giving Tuesday! We so appreciate how supportive you have been in helping us meet the needs of individual youth throughout the past year, and today is an awesome opportunity to multiply that impact and help MAAC continue to go beyond for youth affected by foster care!

Your gift of ANY amount will help us get closer to our goal for today, helping to serve youth during key transitions in foster care!

Just visit bit.ly/MAAC4kids!

on is ⭐️tomorrow⭐️, November 30th! Our goal for this national day of giving is to raise $15,000 in flexible funding for supports and services provided to transition-age youth across the MAAC programs. This enables us to meet needs that aren’t covered by other funding sources but are essential to their success.

Early donations are crucial to helping us meet the need! Will you help us reach our Giving Tuesday goal? Go to bit.ly/MAAC4kids to make your pledge today!

Here's a quick note from behind the scenes by Luci, our communications coordinator!

The hardest part of my job is encapsulating incredibly rich, varied, and meaningful stories into easily digestible bites of information. Whether it's a quick social media post or an email ask, illustrating the deeper impact behind the words on the screen is always a challenge.

The truth is that the smallest moments can make the biggest difference, and that journeys of immense growth can start with the simplest of steps - like the moment when a staff member meets a youth for the first time, looks them in the eyes, and asks, "What do YOU want for your future?"

Often, the biggest impact doesn't start with what we do, but how we do it.

That is especially true for young people in our Transitions programs - youth who typically won't get a storybook "happy ending" to their time in foster care. When you picture a teen leaving foster care, you might imagine a smiling adoptive family, or a heartfelt reunion with a biological relative. But with a lack of homes available, many will "graduate" into adulthood alone. That's where MAAC comes in.

The MAAC Transitions programs offer the kind of support that is essential to bridging that step into independent adulthood - from financial literacy and life skills training to workforce apprenticeships to housing support and more. But beyond the programming itself, MAAC becomes a touchstone for meaningful connection to supportive adults and peers.

I hear story after story from my co-workers about the youth they've stayed in touch with for years later - an extended family for the challenges and successes alike. There are a lot of ways to measure results empirically, but there's no way to quantify the impact of having someone to call, of knowing you aren't alone.

It's that kind of impact that makes doing my job worthwhile. It makes it easy for me to ask you to join in supporting what we do, because I truly believe in it.

This Giving Tuesday is another opportunity to show up for youth in foster care during these difficult times, and your donations will benefit our Transitions programming - helping to fund more resources and individualized supports for these vulnerable young adults.

GA Gives on Giving Tuesday is tomorrow, November 30th! MAAC needs your help to reach our goal for youth in foster care. Will you help me continue to make a difference?

Go to bit.ly/MAAC4kids to make your pledge!
THANK YOU!

Having the basic necessities is the first step to stability! Can you give towards groceries for a youth who recently left foster care?

Kay recently transitioned from foster care, and she is working to support herself - but when she got sick and had to take time off, she fell behind on her bills. We're helping Kay pay her utility bill so that she can keep her heat on as she gets back to normal. Can you give towards our goal for Kay?

"Being in foster care has shaped a sort of normalcy to instability in me in the past, and I am trying my best to break that cycle."

S. told us this when he reached out for help with the cost of safe and stable housing. Can you help us help S. break that cycle of instability and get back on his feet after foster care? We're trying to raise $750 to support the cost of his first month of rent while starting over.

V is a youth in our Georgia EmpowerMEnt program who *just* reached the age of being discharged from foster care. She's in a crisis situation with food for her household of five. Can you help us fill the gap for V?

Friends, we have a unique donation request today. One of the youth in our Georgia Empowerment program recently experienced a fire in their apartment complex. In addition to having to move, all of his personal items were destroyed. He is in need of support towards basic essentials for himself and his two young children - including air mattresses, hygiene products, food, and clothing. We don't want to put on a cap on this one, because we want to be able to fill as much of that gap as possible to replace what was lost. Can you help J get back on his feet and make it through this crisis? Every little bit helps!

Vaya is an alumni of foster care in our Georgia Empowerment program who needs a bike! She is currently walking to work on a daily basis, and having her own transportation will help her maintain her job and build towards a stronger future! A good bike is $200 - can you give towards that goal today?

Jamie is part of our Georgia Empowerment program, and is working hard to find stability after foster care. She is waiting for her disability application to be reviewed, and has also applied for Georgia Workforce support to help her get established in a sustainable career, and is currently seeking new employment and safe, stable housing in the meantime. A grant of $668 will allow Jamie to stay current on rent and utility bills for this month while she continues working on her long-term planning. Can you donate today and help us reach that goal for Jamie?

Here's your friendly Prime Day reminder that you can support MAAC whenever you shop at Amazon by going to smile.amazon.com/ch/58-2374925!

OR - are you a mobile app shopper? Check out this link for info on how to connect AmazonSmile to all your purchases in the app! https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=15576745011

Thank you for supporting our agency!

We have another holiday wish to share! "J" is a mom in our Teen Parent Connection program, who just moved into her first apartment and needs household items so she can cook healthy food for herself and her kiddo! Her holiday wish list includes items like pots, pans, measuring cups, kitchen utensils, dishes, and silverware! Can you help us fill the gap and brighten her holidays?