| |
From the desk of Kim Golter
 Kim Golter, the Founder and Chief Executive of Jeremiah’s Promise, believes fervently Frederick Bueachner’s writing, "where the world’s greatest pain meets your heart’s greatest joy is where you’ve found your call."
In volunteering to support area foster youth, Ms. Golter realized her call when she discovered the dire circumstances facing teens as they turned 18 and 19 and were thrust from the foster care system and into a world they were ill prepared to tackle. The unfortunate result is that most foster children lose their homes and are without the financial resources to pay the rent, continue their education or survive in an area known for its exorbitant cost of living. Indeed, 63 percent of foster youth in Silicon Valley are dead, homeless or in prison within one year after leaving foster care, according to 2003 statistics from the office of former Dependency Court Commissioner Pat Bresee.
Ms. Golter began the process in 2000 of creating Jeremiah’s Promise, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. In August 2002 Jeremiah’s Promise became incorporated in the State of California. In October of that year California granted the organization tax-exempt status. On January 31, 2003 Jeremiah’s Promise was given tax-exempt status by the IRS. On January 1, 2004, Jeremiah’s Promise opened its first home to a remarkable group of young women who were previously in the foster care system.
Jeremiah’s Promise is aimed precisely at eliminating the underlying causes of homelessness and poverty for this young and increasing population, particularly those youth who have the potential to be highly successful if provided the right tools and guidance. "Again and again, I found that the same pattern was repeated: the kid who managed to climb out of the morass of poverty and social pathology was the kid who found somebody… who helped them invent a promising future," said Sociologist, Bernard Lefkowitz, in Stand by Me by Jean Rhodes. This is why we surround our young women with a network of caring, emotionally healthy adults who have committed to support them for years to come. |
