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Pivotal Celebrates 35 Years of Service
In early October, we invited our donors, partners, alumni, and staff to come together to celebrate Pivotal’s 35 years of service in our community. Starting with building the Santa Clara County Children’s Shelter, Pivotal has dedicated itself to the support and well-being of young people from foster care in our community. We’d like to acknowledge and thank everyone whose support allowed us to serve thousands of children and young adults, at a critical time when they needed...
Read moreFrom Setbacks to Success: How Pivotal Helped Michelle Find Her Path
When sharing stories about our scholars and their experiences, we often tell you about young people who have been through the system and have found success through their hard work and with Pivotal’s support. It’s important to remember that their journey to that success is often filled with struggles and uncertainty for many of our scholars and it can be difficult for students to open up about the difficulties they may be experiencing in the moment.
When post-secondary...
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EDUCATION NONPROFIT LEADERS URGE STRATEGIC INVESTMENTS TO SUPPORT FOSTER YOUTH HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION SUCCESS
The Foster Youth Pre-College Collective Releases “Destination Graduation” Report; Underscores Foster Youth Challenges and Promising Practices That Successfully Impact Academic Progression
LOS ANGELES, Calif. (June 4, 2024) - Deeper investment in highly relational one-on-one services will close the persistent gap between the high school completion rates of youth in the foster care system and other K-12 students, according to a new report, Destination Graduation: Investing in the...
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Thank you for supporting us this National Foster Care Month!
National Foster Care month is over and what a month it was! Here at Pivotal, we packed a whole lot into a short time.
The incredible Delrisha White hosted three live podcast events where Pivotal alumni, scholars, and staff shared their experiences. Here are just a few quotes:
I not only had someone that could be there for me academically, but I also had someone that was close to my age and was able to understand me, help me make decisions, personal or academic, because I...
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Making the Most of a Second Chance - Catching Up with Diana
Diana Urias loved school when she was young, but when she was placed in foster care, she felt that love waning as she struggled with her mental health and began engaging in more and more risky behavior. After a drug overdose, several moves, and some time in juvenile detention, Diana realized she had to make a change. She began to focus on school again, eventually graduating and starting at community college where she found Pivotal. “I expected the program to be temporary, like every...
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Catalysts for Change - Thanking our Social Work Interns
March is Social Work Month, and we want to celebrate the current and future social workers who support our students. Social workers play a critical role in the child welfare system and are often an important part of our scholars’ lives.
In 2010, Pivotal created an internship program to help new social workers-in-training learn about the nuances of working with foster youth. We train undergraduate and graduate students in social work programs to be Pivotal coaches, working...
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The Sisterhood of Resilience: From Separation to Support
Losing their parents to drug and alcohol addiction motivated sisters Mary and Ruby to build healthy and fulfilling lives to help themselves and others.
For Mary, the path to healing began with strengthening her own body and mind. Her father had been a track and field runner, but she didn’t see him in that light, as a strong athlete, because his addiction had stripped that away. It inspired her to become a runner herself, breaking track and field records in middle...
Read moreAnjru's Story - In His Own Words
I went into foster care partly because of physical and emotional abuse, but mostly, because of poverty. My dad was in and out of jail. My mother was a single mother raising me and my three sisters. We lived in the car, slept on couches, and on people’s floors for a long time, until the day we entered foster care. Whenever something bad happened to my family, my parents would blame me. I felt that I was a burden, and I was always anxious. But I can’t say that I was a victim of my...
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Sobrato Philanthropies Pledges $500,000 in support of Pivotal's programs over the next 2 years
We are honored to be awarded a $500,000, multi-year grant from Sobrato Philanthropies to support our programs. One of Pivotal’s most steadfast supporters, Sobrato has given over $2.5 million in funding since Pivotal’s founding. Sobrato has provided funding for our post-secondary programs, emergency assistance fund, and general operations to help us continue to grow our work.
“We support Pivotal because they see foster youth as whole humans and create conditions that...
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KLA Foundation Pledges $300,000 over 3 Years to Support Pivotal's High School Coaching Program
We are thrilled to announce that the KLA Foundation has pledged $300,000 over the next three years to fund Pivotal’s High School Coaching program! In California, only 46% of young people in foster care graduate from high school, and nationally, just 4% earn a bachelor’s degree. We work to make an impact on these alarming numbers through our High School Coaching Program, where, on average, 74% of participants earn high school diplomas and 77% go on to post-secondary education. The...
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Welcoming Pattie Cortese - Board Member
More great news for the Pivotal team! Pattie Cortese is joining our Board of Directors. Pattie has lived in the Bay Area since 1969. She began her career with Catholic Charities in their Vocational Learning and Treatment Center, working with chronically mentally ill adults to gain skills and employment. Pattie has been active in youth mentoring programs since 1994 and is a founding member of the South Bay Mentoring Coalition, a group of nonprofit organizations working together to promote...
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Welcoming Candice Chung - Chief Financial and Operating Officer
In late April, Pivotal welcomed our new Chief Financial & Operating Officer, Candice Chung. For nearly two decades, Candice has worked in the non-profit sector, committed to improving outcomes through access to education.
Most recently, Candice served as CFO of AI4ALL, a national nonprofit that is transforming the pipeline of artificial intelligence practitioners and creating a more inclusive, human-centered discipline. During her time at AI4ALL, Candice developed financial...
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