San Diego CA— Just in Time for Foster Youth (JIT), a nonprofit organization dedicated to engaging a caring community to help transition age foster youth achieve self-sufficiency and well-being, will be hosting a series of EMpower parties through the end of May for its dedicated community of supporters. In order to meet County regulations while also meeting the expressed desire for connection and celebration, JIT has scheduled virtual Zoom parties. In addition, in lieu of the originally scheduled annual Walk the Talk fundraiser, Sponsors are hosting smaller, in-person gatherings – outdoors with socially distanced tables. Each party, whether virtual or in-person, will offer an intimate way to engage in the JIT mission while raising awareness and resources for transition age foster youth in San Diego County.
The theme for this year’s events is EMpower, the EM standing for Engage & Motivate; Encourage & Maximize; and Enhance & Measure. Each EMpower party will include a program with a music video featuring Just in Time participant and alumni singers, a moving youth story, and celebrity cameos. Youth will be an integral part of each party by sharing their personal experiences and engaging with guests.
“Our goal was to take the most memorable, impactful, and inspiring aspects of our traditional Walk the Talk gatherings and translate the experience to a virtual or hybrid space,” says Don Wells, Chief Empowerment Officer at Just in Time for Foster Youth. “The feedback so far suggests we’ve been able to exceed our own high expectations while providing unique experiences for our community!”
All EMpower party hosts, guests, and the general public are invited to participate in a virtual finale that will be held on Saturday, June 19, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The finale will include a special performance from country star (and former foster youth) Jimmy Wayne, music and an inspirational story from Just in Time youth, celebrity appearances, and other surprises.
This year’s Co-Hosts are Pamela and Sam Webster. The Sustaining sponsor is U.S. Bank, Presenting sponsors are Gretchen & Bill Morgan, and Platinum sponsors are Capital Growth, Inc. and Jennifer Moores.
Gold sponsors include Active Motif, Joe Fernandez and Ted DeFrank; Dee and Steve Davis; Jeanette Day and Dave Catalino; Marty Goodman; Joe Jordan; Livingston Family Foundation; MG Properties, Grace and Scott Chui-Miller; The Rivkin Family Fund at the San Diego Foundation; RWM Home Loans, Susanne and Brad Livingston; Louarn and Alan Sorkin; Tina and David Thomas; Trilogy Investment Group, Joanne and Mick Marks; and Don Wells and Diane Cox.
Silver sponsors are Scott Arnold; Lauri and Steve Buehler; Tracy Burgett; Bob, Suzy & Lauren Freund; Shannon Hagan; Jack in the Box; Molly’s Angels; Bill Murphy III; Plaza Home Mortgage; Jessica Pressman and Brad Lupien; David Schulman; Nancy and Alan Spector; Judy Thompson and Mike Conner; and Pierre and Anisa Towns.
To learn more about Walk the Talk plus explore sponsorship and underwriting opportunities, please visit https://jitfosteryouth.org/wtt2021/.