Treehouse Graduation Success
Michelle Siderius
Relationship Development Officer Treehouse
Scribe: John Uppendahl Editor: Jim Kindsvater
In this Issue
Melissa Stuart and Michelle Siderus visited us from Treehouse which the BBRC has supported since 1999 with almost $20,000. On any given day there are about 9,000 kids in foster care and Treehouse cares for more than 6,000 of them. Our Student of the Month is Maria Algandora Flores Cardenas from Sammamish High School. New BBRC member Mark McDonald was inducted and welcomed into BBRC, and Jason Cherney gave his classification talk.
Speaker Program
Melissa Stuart and Michelle Siderus visited us from Treehouse (www.treehouseforkids.org) which the BBRC has supported since 1999 (it was founded in 1988 by DSHS Childrens Administration social workers). BBRC has given about $20,000 during that time. Jim Carney also helps with Treehouse planned giving. The Treehouse mission is to give foster youth a childhood and a future. They believe children enter foster care through no fault of their own. On any given day there are about 9,000 kids in foster care and Treehouse cares for more than 6,000 of them. Treehouse has served more than 75,000 kids in foster care. A key goal is high school graduation rates (foster kids’ graduation rates are about half of average). Treehouse 2017 Goal: Foster YOUTH IN King County will graduate high school at the same rate as their peers with a plan for their future. Treehouse’s Graduation Success Program serves 500+ kids in 14 school districts in King County.
Club Business
Our Student of the Month is Maria Algandora Flores Cardenas from Sammamish High School. Her parents are Francisco Flores and Isabel Cardenas. She is a National Honor Society student, VP of Inventory for Mercer Trade Inc., ASB Activities Chair, Cheer Captain for two years, and much more. She also volunteers with Eastside Pathways and Teen Feed BGC. Maria hopes to attend the University of Washington and study International Business.
New BBRC member Mark McDonald was inducted and welcomed into BBRC.
Jason Cherney gave his classification talk and revealed he is a dual citizen (U.S. and Canada). He is a U of W Husky, soccer coach and father.
Ann Norman is Rotarian of the Month
About the Speaker
Right now, their is an incredible opportunity to contribute to the success of our most vulnerable children. In 2013 Treehouse rolled out its plan to secure the opportunities they equally deserve, helping them build their lives and prosper. They set a goal that will change the educational trajectory of hundreds of foster youth every year: foster kids in King County will graduate high school at the same rate as their peers with a plan for their future by 2017.