Grabbing hope … A former foster youth succeeds!
by admin
Posted on January 17, 2011
Bakersfield, covenant, covenant coffee, covenant community services, former foster youth, hope lives here, hq of hope
On a recent morning, Jeremy awoke and began a busy day with Covenant Coffee. The destination after the 6:00am pickup by roastmaster, Isaac Dennis, was to a Cyclocross race that Jeremy would work.
Jeremy is a former foster youth from Kern County and is employed with Covenant Coffee through the ACT program. At the end if January, Jeremy will complete his internship with ACT and Covenant Coffee and will become an employee!
We are thrilled to have Jeremy a part of the team at Covenant Coffee where we roast coffee “on purpose and for a purpose”. Jeremy is excelling in his ambition and follow-through with coffee sales, tracking, marketing and serving. We are also proud of Jeremy as a former foster youth that is pioneering the hope that is the reason behind the launch of Covenant Coffee … Real skills, a real job and fulfilled purpose.
Foster care takes a heavy toll on youth. Studies have shown that former foster youth have over twice the incidence rate of post traumatic stress disorder when compared to Vietnam War veterans. That, my friend, is a shocking statistic. In our work with former foster youth, foster children and foster families, we have witnessed hope transform the most bleak future and provide a life line to troubled youth.
Jeremy is one of our heroes. He has made it out of a “system” that was ill-prepared to meet his needs spiritually, emotionally, vocationally and socially. Through the partnerships in our local community between traditional and non-traditional child welfare organizations, the local church, and hope-filled individuals, Jeremy is successfully tackling life. He, more than any of us, understands our motto “hope lives here”.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching Jeremy work the crowd at the Cyclocross race and serve with confidence. Jeremy is learning, growing and chasing his dreams. He is an inspiration and a testimony to all former foster youth that when you match preparation with opportunity great transformation results. It is our hope that many other former foster youth grab ahold of the hope extended and succeed in life.
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