The Rotary Club of Coconut Grove Foundation recently awarded a grant of $1,600 to Casa Valentina, which provides housing accommodations and support services to at-risk youth who have aged out of the foster care system.
The grant will go toward funding a professional evaluation of Casa Valentina’s Work: Connect initiative, which helps resident youths develop the skills necessary to find and retain employment.
The grant check was presented by Steve Carter, president of the Rotary Club of Coconut Grove Foundation, accompanied by Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado and Don Kesler, president of the Rotary Club of Coconut Grove, to Deborah D. Korge, executive director, and Danielle Fernandez, employment coach, of Casa Valentina, during a luncheon at the Coconut Grove Sailing Club.
Mayor Regalado noted that he was familiar with the formidable challenges facing aged-out foster youth, having seen it personally when he was a city commissioner whose district included Shenandoah where several foster families resided.
The Rotary Club of Coconut Grove provides service and financial support to initiatives within the community, as well as to various humanitarian projects in Colombia, Guatemala and Bolivia through the Rotary International matching funds program. To date, the Rotary Club of Coconut Grove has funded after-school programs, youth sports for at-risk teens, health initiatives, and a Learn-to-Swim project for underprivileged youth.
