Selena first came to SCO’s Scattered Site Supportive Housing Program, in August 2017. This program provides housing and transitional services for young adults who have been in foster care and are at-risk of homelessness. Selena, who had been in foster care since age 9, was dealing with a lot of family and personal issues. She was feeling frustrated and depressed. The tipping point came when her biological father passed away.
As a way to help cope with her loss, Selena decided to write a book about her experience. She hoped sharing her experience might inspire others…turning her personal tragedy into something positive. Ever resourceful, Selena wrote her entire book on her cell phone and uploaded it onto Amazon where it is currently sold as a Kindle format e-book.
Selena’s entrepreneurial spirit had been unleashed. Following her book, Selena developed her own podcast where she talks about life issues and how she has dealt with them in the hopes of motivating others. Since establishing her podcast last year, she has attracted over 20,000 followers worldwide.
She didn’t stop there. Selena then decided that she wanted to sell merchandise with inspirational messages. She started her own online t-shirt company – printing, packaging and shipping orders out of her apartment.
Selena has found her calling. She has found healing through sharing her story and inspiring others and she has experienced personal growth in the process.
SCO staff are encouraging her to utilize her abilities and resilience to pursue her education. In doing so, Selena will be able to use her knowledge to promote and expand her budding enterprises and find other employment opportunities to help her as she transitions to independent living.
Former Baseball Hall of Fame Chairman Ed Stack and his wife Chris are in a league of their own when it comes to helping others. Their deep commitment to community is evident through the many charitable, civic, and educational causes they champion. But the Stacks have really stepped up to the plate for SCO Family of Services.
Over the past two decades, Chris and Ed have been intimately involved in advancing our mission to build stronger foundations for New Yorkers. Ed sits on the SCO Board of Directors, serving as Chair from 2007 to 2011. He currently serves as the Board’s Assistant Treasurer, Chair of the Executive Compensation Committee, and sits on several subcommittees. Chris was a long-time volunteer at the Tyree Learning Center, where she lovingly worked with children with developmental disabilities who reside at SCO’s Robert J. McMahon Children’s Center.
In addition to their personal generosity to SCO, the Stacks have helped recruit a strong lineup of supporters. As the retired President and Director of The Clark Estates, Ed was instrumental in securing SCO’s first grant from The Clark Foundation over 30 years ago. Since then, the Foundation continues to fund SCO’s continuum of youth development, academic support, and family counseling programs that provide life-changing opportunities for families in some of New York City’s most at-risk neighborhoods.
Selena has found her calling. She has found healing through sharing her story and inspiring others and she has experienced personal growth in the process. Learn More
Donors with a deep commitment to community Learn More
We help
1,300
children and young adults through foster care programs
Last year,
94%
of children in our early education centers met or exceeded goals for social-emotional development