News - The Village Network high school graduation rate double national average for at-risk youth

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The Village Network high school graduation rate double national average for at-risk youth

WOOSTER - Close to 100 supporters and family members recently joined in celebrating the academic success of 41 boys and girls currently in care across The Village Network's 11 locations. Almost all of the youth are on track to graduate high school this June.

This academic highpoint holds significance for several reasons. TVN's troubled and traumatized youth, on average, enter care multiple semesters behind in their school work. In addition, national statistics show youth in foster care are 44 percent less likely to graduate from high school. This summer TVN will graduate over 87 percent of its eligible youth.

The 2010 graduating seniors are participants of the residential, day treatment and treatment foster care programs from the Akron, Canton, Cleveland, Columbus, Delaware, Lorain, Mount Vernon, Newark, Uhrichsville and Wooster campuses.

The senior recognition lunch held Saturday, April 24on Boys' Village Campus, Wooster, was the first agency-wide senior celebration according to Wendi Warren, executive project manager and chair of the event committee. The luncheon was completely funded by donations from individual supporters of TVN.

"The luncheon celebrated not only the success of the youth who have reached this milestone, it honored those who are continuing to work very hard to achieve high school graduation," said Warren. "I am awed by the public response for support of the youth through the scholarship coaching program and the financial help for the luncheon."

TVN has a scholarship program and a coaching program according to Warren. The coaching program is required for scholarship recipients but is available to all students. The volunteer coaches help TVN youth transition from high school to college and/or independent living.

The seniors received certificates recognizing their hard work and resiliency. Keynote speaker Adrian McLemore, former foster care child and media spokesperson for Foster Care Alumni of America, talked of his trials and successes. At the age of 15, he became the youngest state president of, Skills USA, one of the largest student organizations in the country. Currently McLemore studies political science at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.

TVN has a long-standing, awarding-winning history of helping troubled and traumatized boys and girls. The non-profit, non-denominational agency operates 11 facilities providing co-educational residential and day treatment, treatment foster care, crisis assessment services, respite care and alternative schooling for troubled and traumatized boys and girls. For more information on programs and events, visit http://www.thevillagenetwork.org/.