At 7 years old, Ryan was removed from his mother’s home and placed in SCO’s Foster Care program. Options for exploring his interests and creativity were limited. But that all changed for Ryan when his mentor at SCO encouraged and empowered him to pursue his dreams.
This mentorship broadened Ryan’s world and opened doors to opportunities. He discovered his abilities and strengths, nurtured a love for science, and developed his networking skills. Today, Ryan is proud to pay his experience forward by mentoring, encouraging, and guiding younger children at SCO.
Ryan is now a sophomore majoring in Biology at Jamestown Community College. SCO assisted him with transportation, college applications, and opportunities for financial aid to help him fulfill his potential and continue his education.
“Thank you for investing in my future,” said Ryan. “There is so much I would not have been able to do without the care and support that I received from SCO Family of Services.”
“Tanisha” is a wonderful young lady who has been in SCO’s Foster Care program since 2014. Having excelled academically, Tanisha was assigned an SCO College Specialist to help her apply for colleges, financial aid, scholarships, grants and other educational supports. Last fall, Tanisha was accepted into Hunter College where she is currently pursuing a teaching degree. She is part of the Administration for Children’s Services Dorm Project at Hunter that provides tutoring, one-on-one support and the opportunity to live in a dorm on campus.
Tanisha is doing great. She earned a 3.4 GPA in the fall and has been working part-time to help pay bills. Despite her success, she was still a bit anxious when registering for the spring semester, so she turned back to her SCO College Specialist for guidance and support. Feeling better prepared, Tanisha just finished up another successful semester and plans to continue working over the summer break.
We’re proud of Tanisha and all that she’s already accomplished. Bright, kind and well-rounded, Tanisha is a pleasure for staff to work with and we’re sure she’ll do well in her career and in life.
With your gift, you can help strengthen New York families and unlock potential for children and adults with special needs.
Donate Now
