PWF Blue Babies

09/04/2026

https://share.google/NeqUJOb9VxKOAVsVQ

09/02/2026

09/01/2026

Congratulations to all of our PWF College Prep class of 2026 for starting your next phase of life!

First day of class for 2026 freshman was a success at GVSU, Ferris State, St Claire Community, Central Michigan, Michigan State, U-M Ann Arbor, Jackson College, WCCCD, Washtenaw Community and Wayne State.

also to students planning to start college in the Winter Semester at OU & WMU and another student who is completing her Basics Training with the National Guard.

For Students trying to figure out what kind of trade or College careers they'd like to explore, consider signing up for a career exploration course at your local community college.

For those of you who were not able to connect with us on your college care packs, we will still continue to make arrangements in the next few weeks.

Moving forward -
Keep checking your new email, messages in your college portal or webgate, ensure all of your scholarships are displayed on your account, check deadlines, and speak with your professor & read through your syllabus.

Look up the professor/class on RateMyProfessor, and also email the professor with any questions regarding your course

About College Textbooks
Wait until the first day of class to check if having the textbook is really necessary.

You can do a price comparison by searching for the book’s ISBN # on TextbookRentals, PageLess, BookFinder, Chegg, or Student2Student

Many campus bookstores tend to have the highest prices.

Renting is usually more cost-effective. In addition- most all classroom text books are available in the library as well for short term loan until you buy your required college text books.

08/31/2026

LEO - Low-Cost or Affordable Programs https://share.google/yKbzhRyDJIOchg8BX

08/31/2026

Students in foster care must enroll in school on the first day, with/without records

08/28/2026

08/26/2026

In the last 30 years, Dolly Parton gifted children 0-5, 335 million books!

Inspired by her father’s inability to read and write, Dolly started her Imagination Library in 1995 for children nationwide.

Today, her program gifts millions of free books each month to children around the world.

“When I was growing up in the hills of East Tennessee, I knew my dreams would come true. I know there are children in your community with their own dreams. They dream of becoming a doctor or an inventor or a minister. Who knows, maybe there is a little girl whose dream is to be a writer and singer.

The seeds of these dreams are often found in books and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world."

Dolly Parton
January 19, 1946 - August 25, 2026

DOLLY PARTON’S IMAGINATION LIBRARY
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is dedicated to inspiring a love of reading by gifting books free of charge to children from birth to age five, through funding shared by Dolly Parton and local community partners in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and Republic of Ireland.

Remembering Dolly Parton, a legend, a humanitarian and a champion of education and children's literacy -

Official music video for ”9 To 5” by Dolly PartonListen to Dolly P...

08/25/2026

Hiring now - parents in Wayne County who have successfully closed out previous CPS or foster care experience with their children so they can partner with parents trying to do the same & get paid for it.

Successful families were able to work well with a family preservation program like families first. (3 positions available) https://recruiting.paylocity.com/Recruiting/Jobs/Details/4284857


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08/24/2026

Mumford High School Mumford High School Alumni Association

08/20/2026

Great job to all young adults who researched and created posters, infomercials, and songs to communicate that the SNAP food assistance program is not working for them and that it's not designed to see or understand children and youth in foster care.

The fodter youth advocates policy goal is to connect food/SNAP & foster care data to automatically identify children and youth in foster care for food assistance benefits.

Secondly for MDHHS to provide $250 in emergency food assistance each time a foster child/youth 0-19 with open foster care case moves to a new placement- that is not a residential placement contracted to provide food as part of it's service.

3rd - An active Bridge Card (no matter the amount) for every foster child and youth 0-26 not adopted or under guardianship for identification puposes as well as for the food assistance card to move with the child, to the new placement - with automated activation and adjustments - without having foster parents and providers to apply and reapply for benefits including accessing child care benefits.

Michigan should stop making foster parents and youth responsible for connecting two state systems that already contain the information needed to protect them from gaps in food assistance.

When the state knows a child has entered foster care, moved to a new home, changed household composition, entered Independent Living, or aged out, that information should be securely and promptly communicated to the SNAP system.

75% of IT Modernization investment to connect foster care data with SNAP qualifies for federal reimbursement fund.

The state should make the systems work together so that children and youth receive the food assistance for which they are eligible when and where they need it!

Thank you for workers, foster parents, decision makers who continue to encourage our extraordinary youth advocates.

Special thank you to our partners and supporters specially The Skillman Foundation, Michigan's Children, DESC - Grow Detroit Young Talent, SER Metro, Buchanan Industries, TICAS- Michigan, EMICITY, MDHHS ESA & CSA Adminstration, Rep. Luke Meerman and Rep. Sharon MacDonell.

We will be sharing more of our youth led solutions and findings along with their creative expressions of their message which would not have been possible without the leadership of our own Park West Foundation - Empowering Foster Youth Through TECHnology (EFyTECH) advocates. THANK YOU!!!
And the attached AI wideo was created by 17 year old youth advocate Lexi!