Sierra college care packages
Most newly graduated High School students have their parents to lean on financially when they head off to college, but what about foster students? Who do they have to lean on if they don’t have parents? That is exactly what the College Transition Support Team or CTST is for.
Financial aid manager Linda Williams started this organization a couple years back with college counselor Ruth Flores. The program took about seven years to build up and establish relationship with other colleges and foundations then took a year for it to take off.
“This program brought the community together and helped establish relationships over the years,” told Linda Williams. The group helps donate care packages to foster students who are just entering college for the first time all over the world.
Sierra college students wanted to take action and help their foster students with this program in 2007 and have been donating packages to foster students every fall semester since.
It’s estimated that around 120 new students coming into a college system are from the foster care system. These kids cannot afford daily items, registration, books, parking permits, or school supplies.
For the things that most people don’t think twice about buying, foster kids can’t seem to afford those types of things. That’s why the organization put the most necessary necessities into the care packages.
“Community service is key to a community’s success,” says Williams. On August 21st almost 50 Sierra college students donated 100 care packages filled with basic school supplies (books, pencils, paper), bookstore gift cards, grocery store gift cards, quilts, and daily necessities (shampoo, hair brush, toothbrush). “Anytime you show someone that people do have struggles paying for everyday items it really does open up people’s eyes and widens their perspective on people,” added Williams.
Studies have shown that most teens these days don’t get too involved in their communities or help out in the environment any more. Although Linda Williams disagrees, she believes that “students are just not aware of what’s going on in their communities and it’s our job to show people that these struggles do exist.”
To get involved in this program you have to first decide what level you want to be a part of, whether it’s donating care packages face to face to foster students or donate anonymously, either way helps out a lot, even if you just a box of pencils you’re donating. Contact Linda Williams if you want to be a part of this wonderful organization at (916)-660-7311.