Jacaranda Rising

🍽️✨ A huge THANK YOU to for teaching Jacaranda Rising’s very first Introduction to Cooking class! Our young adults had so much fun learning new skills and creating a delicious meal together. On the menu: fresh salad with a homemade vinaigrette dressing, cheesy chicken quesadillas, and a chocolate cake in a mug made right in the microwave! 🍫🥗🧀

We’re also incredibly grateful to Granada Hills Baptist Church for generously opening their kitchen to us and providing a welcoming space where our youth could learn, connect, and enjoy a meal together.

Workshops like these are only possible because of the amazing volunteers and community partners who believe in investing in young adults as they build confidence and independence. Thank you for helping make these experiences possible for Jacaranda Rising’s youth. 💜

🎉 Celebrating Ty 🎉

Not every turning point begins with a life-changing event. Sometimes, it starts with a simple conversation.

In December 2023, Ty met volunteers from Jacaranda Rising at a holiday party in the transitional shelter where he was living. What began as a conversation grew into a relationship built on trust, consistency, and genuine care.

Since age 18, Ty had been navigating life largely on his own—sleeping on couches, in a hotel, and in shelters. Over the past 2+ years, we’ve had the privilege of walking alongside him as he worked toward stability and his goals. Through mentorship, budgeting support, career coaching, and encouragement, Ty built confidence, direction, and a strong foundation for his future.

In May 2024, he moved into his own apartment, and when unexpected challenges arose, our community made sure he had the support he needed to keep moving forward. He showed up for himself again and again, doing the hard work required to create lasting change.

Today, we are proud to celebrate Ty as he has graduated from Jacaranda Rising’s program at age 25—our first program graduate—and begins an exciting new chapter. After passing his tests, Ty has enlisted in the United States Air Force and will begin basic training this month.

The young man who once had countless ideas but little direction now has a plan, purpose, and a community cheering him on every step of the way.

Ty, it has been an honor to be part of your journey. Your resilience, determination, and growth inspire all of us. Once part of the Jacaranda Rising family, always part of the family.

And to our volunteers, mentors, and supporters—thank you. Stories like Ty’s are possible because you continue to show up.

(Ty's name and image have been changed in order to protect his privacy.)

🎓✨ Big Congratulations! ✨🎓

This June, we have the incredible honor of celebrating one of our Jacaranda Rising participants as they graduate from college! 🎉

For young adults experiencing homelessness, earning a college degree can be especially challenging. In Los Angeles County, fewer than 3% of youth who have experienced foster care go on to graduate from college. That’s why this achievement is so meaningful.

We are beyond proud to celebrate our participant's graduation from Pierce College this June. Their hard work, perseverance, and dedication have brought them to this milestone, and we couldn't be more excited to cheer them on as they walk across the stage.

This accomplishment is a reminder that with determination, support, and opportunity, incredible things are possible.

Please join us in congratulating this amazing graduate! 🎓👏💜

A huge thank you to and Jim Festante for leading such an engaging and eye-opening workshop for our young adults yesterday! 💜

Participants learned about how algorithms shape what we see online, ways to build healthier screen time habits, and how we all need to fact check what we see on social media. We all walked away having learned something new!📱

We’re so grateful for community partners like Health-e-Habits who empower young adults with practical tools and knowledge for everyday life. 💪

It’s Jacaranda Season 💜

All across Los Angeles, the Jacaranda trees are in full bloom — vibrant purple petals covering our yards, streets, and sidewalks in beauty and color.

Did you know Jacaranda Rising was named after these beautiful trees because they are our founder Ali’s favorite? Jacarandas represent rebirth. They are vibrant, beautiful, messy, and imperfect — just like us.

That is the heart behind Jacaranda Rising. We want every young adult in our programs to know this truth:
✨ You were created vibrant and beautiful.
✨ Life is messy and imperfect.
✨ And you are deeply LOVED exactly as you are.

Happy Jacaranda Season! 💜🌿

We’re so excited to introduce a special milestone for Jacaranda Rising—our very first intern! 🎉

Please join us in welcoming and thanking Lessly for choosing Jacaranda Rising as her nonprofit organization to intern with this semester. We’re incredibly grateful to have her on our team!

Lessly will be supporting our work through social media, website design, and workshop creation—helping us expand our reach and better serve the young adults in our community. At the same time, she’ll be gaining hands-on experience in how nonprofits are managed and how impactful programs are built and run.

Lessly, we’re so thankful for your heart to learn and serve. We’re lucky to have you with us! 💜

Interested in getting involved with Jacaranda Rising? Learn more here: https://www.jacarandarising.org/how-you-can-help

Since we have some new faces here, we’d love to (re)introduce our Founder & Executive Director, Alison Bodager.

Alison is the heart behind Jacaranda Rising. Her passion has always been to walk alongside youth who are navigating life on their own—and that commitment shapes everything we do. Love is the driving force behind our work and the lens through which every decision is made.

As Mother Teresa once said, “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” That belief is woven into the fabric of Jacaranda Rising.

Originally from Ohio, Alison moved to Los Angeles County in 2010 to work at an after-school program in Skid Row. After years in the nonprofit sector—and time spent working as a paralegal—she took a leap of faith and began working on Jacaranda Rising in 2020.

This year, we celebrated our 5th anniversary on March 22—the day we officially received our nonprofit status, and, ironically, also Alison's birthday. What a milestone!

We are deeply grateful to everyone who has supported Alison and her vision along the way—our volunteers, donors, and prayer warriors. Because of you, Jacaranda Rising has served over 140 young people and continues to grow. 💜

I still remember the first time I met Jake.

It was the month of his 19th birthday. We showed up to the shelter with a small gift and his dessert of choice—chocolate chip cookies—hoping to make the day feel special for a young man who might otherwise go unseen.

Jake was quiet. Not expecting much. But something shifted, even in that small moment.

I didn’t know then that it would be the beginning of a two-year journey together through Jacaranda Rising.

After that day, Jake started coming to workshops. Then he kept coming. He asked questions. He built friendships with me and our volunteers. Before long, he was planning his schedule around our visits—choosing connection, choosing community, choosing to belong.

Over time, we watched Jake begin to believe in himself.

With support through our continuing education program, he pursued his guard card—and I’ll never forget the text he sent when he passed. The pride. The confidence. The shift.

Today, at 21, Jake has moved into his own apartment through The Village Family Services.

The growth is undeniable. But more than that—it’s his spirit. His excitement about building a life of independence is contagious.

We are so very proud of him.

Jake’s story is a reminder that consistency, relationships, and showing up again and again can truly change the trajectory of a life.

And our hope, and my prayer, is simple: that he will never have to experience being unhoused and alone again.

Because now, he doesn’t have to. 💜

- Ali, Founder / Executive Director -
(Name and likeness changed to protect the privacy of Jake)

36% of chronically homeless youth in Los Angeles County have a history in foster care, according to the 2024 Point in Time Count.

Behind that number are young people navigating adulthood without the stable support systems many of us take for granted.

At Jacaranda Rising, we walk alongside youth experiencing homelessness by providing life and job skills workshops, mentorship, birthday celebrations, continuing education guidance, school supply assistance, and more. Through relationship-based programming, we strive to be a consistent, supportive presence in the lives of young people who have experienced profound displacement and instability.

We believe every young person deserves not just resources—but community, encouragement, and someone who shows up.

🎤✨ We’re honored and excited! ✨🎤

Jacaranda Rising is incredibly grateful to be the nonprofit chosen for the April 25th Comedy Night Fundraiser at the iconic Ice House Comedy Club in Pasadena!

With an incredible lineup of 8 talented comedians, this is shaping up to be a night full of laughter, community, and impact — an event you won’t want to miss.

📅 Saturday, April 25
🚪 Doors open: 4:00 PM
🎭 Show starts: 4:30 PM
🎟️ Tickets: $25/person (plus a 2-item minimum)
🔞 Adults 18+ only

A huge thank you to for bringing this fundraiser to life and supporting the mission of Jacaranda Rising.

Come laugh with us, support a great cause, and make it a night to remember. We hope to see you there! 💜

Tickets for sale at: www.icehousecomedy.com