Foster Pride

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Foster Pride has been helping youth in foster care develop their talents and build self-esteem through mentoring relationships and the arts since 1993.

10/07/2026

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — Eyewitness News anchor Bill Ritter will be honored at a benefit gala supporting underserved foster youth in New York City.

Foster Pride, a nonprofit that empowers foster youth through mentorship and the arts in NYC, will honor Ritter on Oct. 19 at Phillips on Park Avenue.

He will be honored alongside artist Mickalene Thomas, known for her portraits of Black beauty in the Met, MoMA, and Whitney.

Emmy and Peabody Award-winning writer and producer Josh Gondelman will host the gala, with HOT 97 DJ Mike Medium set to perform.

Catering and cocktails will be provided by The Vaux Social, Lolo’s on the Water and Vanguard W**e Bar.

The event will run from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

ABC7 Eyewitness News
Links in Bio!

09/29/2026

✨Join us for an unforgettable evening in support of Foster Pride! 
The Foster Pride Benefit 2026

📍Phillips, 432 Park Ave NYC
🗓️Monday, Oct 19th • 6:30–8:30 PM  ⭐️VIP Tour • 5:30–6:30 PM
🥂Hors d’oeuvres, W**e, Music & Art

This year we‘re honoring: Esteemed Journalist
BILL RITTER & Celebrated Artist MICKALENE THOMAS
🎤Hosted by Josh Gondelman
🎶Beats by The Heavy Hittter DJ Mike Medium
 Delectible bites & sultry signature cocktails from The Vaux Social + Lolo’s on the Water! + W**e from none other than the fabulous Vanguard W**e Bar! 
Every ticket empowers our youth and we’re so grateful! 💛

🎟️ 1 Tickets $175 — 2 Tickets $300 (more on our web page)
Link in bio!

Alt text for visual readers:
Image of invitation over New York City featuring the Phillips Building.
Images of our Honorees Bill Ritter and Mickalene Thomas.
Video footage of our Host Josh Gondelman and The Heavy Hitter DJ Mike Medium.
Images of cocktails, w**e and food service with credits to The Vaux Social, Lolo’s on the Water and Vanguard W**e Bar.
End on the visual of our invitation over New York City.

Sound:
Relaxed, loungy, soulful music with the lyrics: “You know you want to get up, dance, go to the moon. Get up, dance, go…yeah yeah!”

05/07/2026

Young women in Foster Pride are positively glowing in new dresses, shoes, bags and accessories generously provided by Temple Emanu-El’s Prom Project.

This annual VIP boutique allows underserved youth to feel celebrated, supported and absolutely beautiful.

So many thanks to Temple Emanu-El, all of the wonderful Prom Project volunteers and the vendors who generously donated these gorgeous clothes and accessories.

Alt Text: “Young women from Foster Pride wearing elegant prom dresses, smiling and posing together in new outfits provided by Temple Emanu-El’s Prom Project.”

Sound Description:
“Upbeat, happy music plays in the background.”

04/07/2026

Last weekend, sixteen Foster Pride students joined the latest John A. Reisenbach Financial Literacy class, and the energy in the room was undeniable. For young people — especially those in foster care — understanding money isn’t optional. It’s essential. Without a financial roadmap, the path to stability and independence can feel impossible.

Led by financial planner Lauren Hepburn, what was supposed to be a two-hour class stretched into three because our students had so much on their minds. As Shanequa, 22, reflected, “No one usually talks about these things—how much they earn or how much credit card debt they have. It was really inspiring to hear people’s stories and get Lauren’s advice.”

Lauren encouraged students to be both bold and intentional about their financial futures—to dream, plan, and do the diligence required to move beyond their current circumstances. She spoke candidly about trade-offs and priorities: choosing a packed lunch to save for a goal, while also recognizing the importance of small treats that sustain motivation.

Above all, students left with a powerful message—to keep their eyes on the bigger picture while taking concrete steps toward it.

Alt Text: Images of students taking a financial literacy class and communicating with one another, one image features the group of students, one image showcases the teacher.

Sound: A jazzy, fun, upbeat soulful instrumental piece of music.

01/07/2026

Work With Us 🎨 Calling All Arts & Crafts Teachers!

Do you paint, draw, sculpt, or love getting crafty? Do you have experience working with underserved youth and the all-abilities community?

You may be our next part-time art teacher at Foster Pride, an award-winning NYC nonprofit empowering youth in foster care through mentorship and the arts.

🖌 Classes: 90 minutes, once per week 📍 Location: North Bronx, NYC
👉 Apply at fosterpride.org/opportunities 🔗 Link in bio

🔊 SOUND: Upbeat, positive music with a cheerful, motivating tone.

#️⃣ Hashtags:  ArtsEducation NYCJobs BronxJobs FosterYouth InclusiveArts

12/30/2025

✨ What a way to close out the year! ✨
Our Foster Pride Handmade Pop-Up at the Aerie store in SoHo was a huge success! 🧶💛

Students in our Handmade Program sold crochet pieces they created themselves—earrings, hats, toys, and more—sharing their talent, building confidence, and earning 100% of the proceeds from their own work.

We’re so grateful to the AEO Better World Foundation, Aerie, our supporters, and everyone who showed up to celebrate and uplift our foster youth artists.

Wishing you all a joyful, hopeful New Year ahead—thank you for being part of this journey. ✨🎉

Alt Text (for visual readers):
Inside the Aerie store in SoHo, New York City, Foster Pride Handmade students sell their own crochet creations at a pop-up event. Tables are filled with colorful crochet earrings, hats, and small toys as students smile, interact with shoppers, and celebrate successful sales in a bright, welcoming retail space.

Sound Description:
Upbeat, festive music with cheerful rhythms, creating a celebratory and joyful mood.

04/14/2025

Knit Stars was established in 2015 as an online learning platform that connects a global community of fiber artists with the world’s most talented knitting and crochet instructors through a series of masterclasses. Congratulations to our Foster Pride HandMade teacher, London Kaye for being one of the 10th Anniversary Knit Stars honorees. To celebrate, Knit Stars will be donating $1,000 to a charity of the honorees choosing, and London chose us! If Knit Stars hits their anniversary goal of 10,000 enrollees, that donation will grow tenfold - to $10,000 per charity.

Please enroll to help us make our $10K goal!
Foster Pride can’t operate without friends like you! Thank you for your generous support!

KEY DATES:

October 5 - 15: Knit Stars Season X Main Launch
This is the final opportunity to meet our goal of reaching 10,000 enrollees. knitstars.com

November 2 - 16: Knit Stars X Season Premiere
London began using crochet to engage with her community and the environment in Brooklyn and New York City. Her work quickly gained popularity and she wrote a book, Crochet with London Kaye. London has also received a patent for her innovative “Crochet Hook with a Twist,” which she designed using 3D printing technology. She has been an essential part of the Foster Pride HandMade classes for almost a decade.

Link in bio.

02/20/2025

Foster Pride Fun Fact:
Did you know that world-renowned sound artist, Christine Sun Kim, was once a Foster Pride art teacher in a group home for deaf teens?

We’re so incredibly proud of Christine’s accomplishments and honor her trailblazing career in the world of art.

Exhibition:
Christine Sun Kim: All Day All Night
Whitney Museum of American Art
Open: Feb 8–July 6, 2025
99 Gansevoort Street, New York, NY 10014

In works full of sharp wit and incisive commentary, Christine Sun Kim (b. 1980, Orange County, California) engages sound and the complexities of communication in its various modes. Using musical notation, infographics, and language—both in her native American Sign Language (ASL) and written English—she has produced drawings, videos, sculptures, and installations that often explore non-auditory, political dimensions of sound.

interview by Aruna D’Souza .flaneuse
portrait by
installation art photo by Ron Amstutz

12/23/2024

Thank you for all that you have done this year
to support the youth of Foster Pride.

Here are some things we did last week:

Awarded $1,250 to one of our students, helping him finish his business degree this spring.

Arranged a donation of clothes to Bronx H.Y.P.E. for their community.

Sorted photos from our crochet pop-up at Aerie Soho and ceramics program at The Door.

Got emotional reading a thank-you from our holiday party for 50 children and families, featuring food, music, and gifts—including one child’s first-ever gift under their tree.

Created this note to thank you—our Foster Pride family—for making all this possible!

We wish you and yours the happiest of holidays and
look forward to seeing you in the New Year!

With love,
Your friends at Foster Pride

Address

New York, NY

Website

http://fosterpride.org/donate-now

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