Our June Hero of the Month is UFC alumnus Torhon Barnes! Torhon spent 15 years as a social work professional and is currently the Chief of Staff at Orange County Health Care Agency. Torhon is also an advocate of the LGBTQIA+ community and through his position at L.A. Care Health Plan, he was able to …
We send a heartfelt thank you to everyone who gave to the Foster Bright Futures Campaign to support foster youth. Thanks to you, our generous UFC community, we raised $415,000 to provide the critical therapy, tutoring, and other supportive services our youth need now. These funds will help ensure all our youth are equipped to …
This Spring, we partnered with Children Now to survey a sample of LA County foster youth to better understand our youth’s experiences during distance learning and their thoughts about returning to in-person instruction. The results confirmed our concerns. Here are some of the survey results:
1 in 3 youth (35%) reported having no internet or bad internet
44% reported struggling …
One of our former UFC foster youth, Arroya Shepherd, has blossomed into a successful California business owner, and we couldn’t be prouder of how far she’s come! Arroya’s journey into the beauty industry started 6 years ago when she studied esthetics at Paul Mitchell after receiving a full scholarship from UFC partner Anastasia Soare of …
Our May Foster Care Hero of the Month is Connie Chung Joe, a social justice and AAPI foster care advocate here in LA County. Connie was the Executive Director of Korean American Family Services for more than a decade, helping provide culturally sensitive homes to AAPI foster children in Los Angeles. Her work helped to …
The community at United Friends sends our collective thoughts and prayers to the family of George Floyd. We are also thinking of the families of Ma’Khia Bryant, Daunte Wright, Adam Toledo, and the countless other precious Black and Brown children, women, and men who have lost their lives at the hands of law enforcement.
In …
Here’s how UFC has been adapting to youth’s needs through the pandemic.
In our Pathways housing program:
We’ve provided quarantine kits including safety equipment and food supplies to support youth in staying safe and keeping the community safe.
We are continuing to provide mental health services through licensed, experienced therapists as many youth are struggling with anxiety, isolation, …
This month, the Junior League of Los Angeles (JLLA) hosted a virtual workshop dedicated to informing the Los Angeles community about the child welfare system. More than 100 attendees had the opportunity to hear from a number of agencies and advocates throughout LA County, including three of our UFC Scholars. Our three Scholars, Jaloni West, …
Our March Foster Care Hero of the Month, Jhamasa Lewis, is a member of the UFC Next Generation Board. She is also an entrepreneur, artist, activist, and the Director of Service Learning at Brentwood School. Jhamasa was dedicated to her educational pursuits growing up and became a first-generation college graduate in 2013. She then spent …
The Imago Music Festival, our first-ever online music festival, brought together a lineup of 50 artists who performed over 10 days, brought awareness to foster care, and raised funds for United Friends of the Children! The funds help provide housing, educational tools, and mental health resources to LA County foster youth. Thank you to all …