AnAfternoonof LEARNING & CELEBRATION
To Lift Up Foster Youth Voices
March 2, 2024
Dodger Stadium
11am-1pm
Join Us
As we honor the recipient of the
2024 National Champion for
Children and Youth Award
Nichol Whiteman
CEO, Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation
Presented by
The Honorable Karen Bas
Mayor of Los Angeles
Founder, NFYI
Saturday,March2,2024
11am—1pm
DodgerStadium
Board of Directors
Wendy Smith Meyer, PhD., LCSW
Chair of the Board
David Herbst
Founder & Managing Partner,
Vectis Strategies
Conway Collis
CEO Emeritus and Senior Advisor,
GRACE/End Child Poverty CA
The Honorable Karen Bass
Mayor of Los Angeles
Nanxi Liu
CEO and Co-Founder,
Blaze Technology
Kim Sterton
Senior VP, Trifecta Entertainment
& Media
Doug Bond
President & CEO,
Amity Foundation
Yolanda (Cookie) Parker
Senior Advisor
Rebecca Louve Yao, LCSW
Executive Director,
NFYI
Jewels Elmore Washington
Private Chef, Event Manager
& Author
Marcus Scribner
Actor & Activist
NFYI’s Programs
Congressional Leadership Academy
As NFYI’s first and largest local group, the
Los Angeles Chapter is creating the road
map for transforming child welfare locally.
The LA Chapter works at the grassroots
level to engage youth impacted by the
foster care system. Members are
empowered to mobilize and organize
Angelenos, partners, organizations, and
decision makers to support local initiatives
that will improve outcomes for youth in
Los Angeles County. They are currently
working on policy issues in four key areas:
housing, mental health, juvenile justice,
and resources for parenting youth.
Addressing substance use and the impact
of the war on drugs on child welfare is
also a key campaign that runs throughout
all of these issues.
Los Angeles Chapter
This 10-month program provides former
foster youth from across the country with
monthly workshops that prepare them to
use their personal experiences to raise
awareness of the challenges the child
welfare system faces. The Academy
includes NFYI’s signature event, the
Congressional Foster Youth Shadow Day
Experience, which takes place each June
in Washington, DC. The week-long
immersive Shadow Day Experience allows
for connection with Members of
Congress, Congressional staffers, and
peers. Former foster youth gain a behindthe-scenes look at legislative processes,
and policymakers hear personal testimony
and experiences of youth in the child
welfare system.
National Voices
This program prepares the next
generation of organizers to partner with
policymakers to address the issues that
impact former foster youth the most like
juvenile justice reform, homelessness,
access to higher education, and mental
health care. This program focuses on
local and statewide mobilization and NFYI
members receive training in community
organizing, program analysis and design,
leadership, professional development,
and communication.
Internship Program
NFYI’s paid internship programs ensure
that foster youth voices are the foundation
of our work and help prepare participants
for future jobs. Only half of former foster
youth are employed at the age of 24,
resulting in higher rates of poverty and
homelessness. By creating internships
that support NFYI’s mission and help
solidify professional skills, we’re
developing the next generation of leaders
who are prepared for the workforce and
who build a network of peers, staff,
community partners, and decision makers.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
Visionary Circle
The Barry and Wendy Meyer Foundation
Empowerment Circle
The Erica & Evan Fisher Family Foundation
Jewels Elmore Washington & Kiko Washington
Transformational Circle
Nanxi Liu
Engagement Circle
Catherine and Robert Ross
Marcus & Troy Scribner
SKANSKA USA Civil West CA District Inc.
Kim Sterton
Voice Circle
Conway Collis & Margaret Henry
iFoster
Ed & Murphy Romano Family Foundation
Kevin & Sandy Tsujihara
Partner Circle
Leslie & Cliff Gilbert-Lurie
The Hawkins Company
Tamara Hunter
The Farache Craven Family
Supporters
