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** PROGRAM IMPACT
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Listening to Scholars. Strengthening Success Together
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2025 First Star National Impact Survey
First Star continues to elevate the voices of the young people we serve. Building on last year’s nationwide Bright Futures Survey, we launched a new program impact assessment to hear directly from our scholars about their experiences. Their feedback is helping us deliver a stronger, more responsive Academy experience for every student.
The findings are clear: your investment is creating meaningful change.
Because of you, scholars are gaining confidence, building community, and envisioning brighter pathways ahead. Thank you for being a critical part of their journey.
Leading with Heart: Scholars Give Back at Toys for Tots
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Image above: Scholars from the First Star UCLA Bruin Guardian Scholars Academy volunteering at the Venice Family Clinic Toys for Tots Drive.
Our scholars continue to show what leadership, generosity, and community spirit look like in action. This season, the First Star UCLA Bruin Guardian Scholars Academy proudly volunteered at the Venice Family Clinic Toys for Tots Drive, where they helped sort, organize, and distribute gifts to local families.
Our scholars and staff shared how meaningful it was to give back and to be part of spreading holiday joy throughout the community. Their service reflects the heart of our work and demonstrates the strength, compassion, and commitment that your investment helps nurture.
Because of you, our young people are not only receiving support but also learning what it means to uplift others. Thank you for making moments like these possible.
Celebration and Connection: The First Star Way
The holiday season across the First Star Network has been filled with warmth, community, and meaningful connection. Our Academies have created spaces where scholars can gather, reflect on the year, and experience the joy and belonging every young person deserves.
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From festive celebrations to community service projects to small, heartfelt end-of-year gatherings, scholars and staff are coming together in ways that strengthen relationships and uplift spirits. These moments do more than mark the season. They embody what First Star is all about. They create safe, caring environments where youth and young adults who have experienced foster care feel supported, celebrated, and truly connected.
We are grateful for every Academy and for every supporter who helps make this season brighter for our scholars. Your partnership ensures they experience community, joy, and a deep sense of belonging that lasts long after the holidays.
** SCHOLAR & ALUMNI JOURNEYS
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When Benefits Stopped, Community Stepped In
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This month, several First Star alumni were affected by the temporary lapse in SNAP benefits during the government shutdown. Of the twenty-nine alumni who have received SNAP in recent years, eleven reached out for support.
With help from our community, First Star provided a one-time $100 grocery gift card to any alum in need. Through the Micro-grant Application, alumni could request assistance and choose a card for Walmart, Target, or a local grocery store, offering quick relief during the disruption.
The goal was simple: provide quick relief and ease the strain many felt when food benefits were suddenly interrupted.
This response reflects our core commitment to supporting alumni as they navigate adulthood and access basic needs. We also shared information on local food banks and community resources.
Thank you to everyone who helps First Star continue showing up for our young adults when it matters most.
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** GROWTH
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Celebration and Connection: First Star Lunch and Learn
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Thanks to partners and supporters like you, First Star continues to strengthen the network of adults who champion youth in foster care as they plan for their futures. The Academy Engagement Team recently hosted a powerful Lunch and Learn in collaboration with the UCLA Pritzker Center, bringing together local community partners and the Foster Youth Pre-College Collective for a focused conversation on College and Career Readiness.
The convening featured two inspiring panels of practitioners and young people with lived experience. Their insights highlighted best practices, emerging trends, and the real-world impact of coordinated support for students in care. Attendees explored a wide range of critical topics, including post-secondary pathways, career and technical education, skilled trades, apprenticeships, and university success models such as California’s Guardian Scholars. The session also provided timely policy updates and practical tools drawn from K–12 schools, universities, and community organizations.
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Designed to spark collaboration across systems, the event reinforced the importance of collective action in improving educational and career outcomes for youth in foster care in Los Angeles and across the country. An impressive 91 percent of attendees reported that the speakers and panelists were highly engaging, reflecting the meaningful dialogue and shared commitment in the room.
Your support helps make gatherings like this possible.
You are helping First Star strengthen the ecosystem of care that surrounds every scholar and creates more pathways to opportunity.
** DONOR SPOTLIGHT
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Celebrating the Impact of the
Target Circle Community Giving Program
We are honored to celebrate the incredible support First Star received through the Target Circle Community Giving Program. From July through September 2025, Target guests across multiple regions voted to direct a portion of Target’s charitable giving to organizations that strengthen their communities.
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The response was extraordinary. Target guests cast 372,958 votes for First Star, resulting in a total grant of $28,153 that directly supports our mission to help youth and young adults who have experienced foster care succeed in school, in their communities, and in life. This generous support also brought new visibility to our work and helped introduce First Star to families and community members across California and beyond.
We are deeply grateful to Target, in/PACT, Simple Generosity, and to every Target Circle member who chose to support First Star. Your votes and your voice help ensure that youth who have experienced foster care receive the resources and opportunities they deserve. Thank you for lifting our mission and strengthening the community we serve.
Celebrating 25 Years of Impact
and the Supporters Who Make It Possible
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In October, First Star gathered supporters, alumni, board members, and friends at the Mountaingate Country Club to celebrate 25 years of transforming the lives of youth with foster care experience. The evening reflected the deep community and shared commitment that define the First Star family.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to the sponsors who made this milestone possible: Visionary Sponsors Vince and Jackie Thompson; Rising Star Sponsors Jay Deratany and Eric Zabinski of O'Melveny; and our Possibility Sponsors Bill Catuzzi, Henry and Barbara Fields, Dana and Todd Katz, Melissa Lloyd, our friends at UCLA, Peter and Saryl Samuelson and Board Member Brian Gray, who extended his generosity in the room with another significant donation!
Your investments affirm what is possible for the young people we serve.
To everyone who attended, contributed, or celebrated with us from afar: thank you. Your support ensures First Star can continue providing opportunity, stability, and pathways to self-sufficiency for youth and young adults in foster care across the country. Together, you are shaping futures.
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** EVENTS
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SAVE THE DATE: Virtual Partner Session
February 24 at 2:00 pm EST - Virtual Partner Session of 2026
This one-hour gathering will strengthen connections across the network, share strategic priorities, and highlight new opportunities to support youth impacted by foster care nationwide. The session includes a panel on key trends in the field, as well as a fireside chat featuring our partner Foster Greatness.
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