10/08/2026
Last week, one of our young adults and two Monroe Harding staff members had the opportunity to attend the Annie E. Casey Foundation Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative’s 25th anniversary gathering in Hawaii!🌺
The gathering brought together young adults and professionals from across the country to reflect on the past 25 years of the initiative and think about the future of work with young people who have experienced foster care.
For our staff member Georgianna, the experience felt like “stepping in a dream.” Twenty-five years ago, she was just beginning her career at DCS and was part of the early days of the initiative. Now, 25 years later, she found herself sitting in the middle of the vision that started all those years ago.
She was also struck by the personal journeys of the young adults who came together for the gathering, including some who weren’t even born when the initiative began.
For our young adult Makiya, her biggest takeaway was the importance of ʻohana, connection, and keeping relationships at the center of foster care. It brought her back to why this work matters to her.
Along with the conversations and sessions, the group got to explore Hawaii, spend time canoeing, attend a luau, and connect with others doing this work.
Monroe Harding is proud to be one of a small group of site partners offering Opportunity Passport in just six states. We are so glad they had the chance to be part of this experience, and we are excited for them to bring what they learned back to Nashville! ☀️💙
