A student at Sheboygan North High School is doing her part to help children in need throughout the community.
Aoife Meyer, a junior at North, is part of the school’s Innovator Fellowship Program which engages juniors and seniors to explore career paths beyond a traditional classroom environment.
Meyer’s project for the program is Foster Focus, an initiative that aims to benefit kids in foster care and other similar situations.
“Foster Focus really focuses on raising awareness about youth and out-of-home care in Sheboygan,” she told SeehaferNews.com. “When I say youth and out-of-home care, most people probably don’t know what that means. It’s kids in kinship care and foster care. So, we’re just raising awareness about how we can help these kids and how we can make sure that we provide more opportunities for them.”
Meyer noted that from a young age, her desire to help those in need, particularly kids in need, came from her parents’ line of work.
Her mother is a social worker, and her father is an educator, and both have worked with children in out-of-home care.
She also noted that in 5th grade, she did a lemonade stand, which raised $75.
She donated that money to Deland Receiving Home, and her passion to give back was in full swing.
Since starting Foster Focus at the beginning of the school year, Meyer has held multiple events to raise awareness.
She explained, “I’ve had two events so far. I did a little stand at the Plymouth Christmas Parade where I just introduced my project and explained a little bit about youth and out-of-home care. Then I had an event at Jake’s where we made blankets for CASA and the CAC. So, we made those blankets and donated them to the CAC and CASA.”
Meyer has also been raising money to set up a scholarship fund for out-of-home care children to provide an opportunity for higher education.
Meyer tells us that 2 to 6% of kids in out-of-home care will go on to attend college, and she is hoping to change that.
She will also be hosting an event next month at 3 Sheeps Brewing in Sheboygan to further that cause.
The Foster Focus Father’s Day Cornhole Tournament will have 100% of the proceeds go directly to the Foster Focus scholarship fund.
This is in addition to more than $1,000 she earned at the Active8 Sheboygan SOUP event last week.
“I’m super close to raising $2,000 which would be an amazing amount to make, and like I said before, all of that money will go directly toward that scholarship,” Meyer said.
More information on Foster Focus and a QR code to sign up for the Father’s Day Cornhole Tournament can be found on flyers around Sheboygan, or on Instagram @fosterfocus.
