Celebrating our high school graduates
We expect about 70 teens in Hamilton County foster care to graduate from high school this spring. That’s a great number – graduation is a big achievement for anyone, but often a more challenging one for kids in care. 
We celebrate this milestone in a big way, especially since many won’t have graduation parties elsewhere. Our annual Celebration of Dreams event will be June 5 at The Summit Hotel in Madisonville, in the hotel’s art gallery. Grads are all invited with their workers, mentors, GALs, CASAs and other members of their teams as well as two personal guests.
It’s a fun event with a nice dinner, DJ, gifts and raffle prizes. Grads can jump in the Say Cheese photo booth for pics. We talk about their achievements, what they’re proud of and what they’ll be doing next. We’ll hear success stories from some previous grads as well as from Mikhayla Hughes-Shaw, a local TV journalist who started her own non-profit which works to promote minority mental health.
If you know a grad who’s in JFS care, don’t let them miss this.
Our Kindness for Kids wish list on Amazon is filled with things teens need for their next step, whether it’s work, college, the military or something else. If you’d like to help provide a graduation gift, check out the list.
Questions? Email Jane.Prendergast@jfs.ohio.gov.