AOI is excited to announce the 2024 award winners!
Our panel of peer judges selected several excellent organizations/programs to be recognized. Congratulations to all the award winners below!
(Look for podcasts coming out in 2025 about these award winning programs.)
Small Organization/Program Winners
This category recognizes organizations or programs that have 1-10 full and part-time employees. The judges for this category have selected four organizations/programs that have outstanding services that deserve recognition this year. Read about the winners below. (Click the logo to go to the winner’s website.)
Olive Crest’s Teen and Young Adult Independent Living Program in Las Vegas empowers former foster youth to transition successfully into adulthood by providing comprehensive support in employment, life skills, mental health services, and mentorship. While living in Olive Crest-managed apartment units, youth receive one-on-one case management and care coordination. This program also boasts a “family component,” offering family stabilization services to pregnant and parenting former foster youth through the organization’s full continuum of prevention programs. Designed to break generational cycles of abuse and neglect, Olive Crest equips participants with the tools they need for long-term self-sufficiency and a brighter future. (Las Vegas, NV)
$40,000 prize
“Olive Crest in Nevada’s Teen and Young Adult Independent Living Program is honored to receive a $40,000 award from the Aging Out Institute. This funding will help empower youth aging out of foster care with essential skills, stability, and confidence for an independent adulthood. By providing housing, life skills training, and mental health support, we can continue building brighter futures for youth in Southern Nevada.”
~Jenny Fay, Community Engagement and Development Director
Transforming lives through building strong relationships. Cleveland Angels mission is to walk alongside children, youth and families experiencing foster care. They do this by engaging community volunteers to match with a youth or family to offer ongoing practical and emotional support. The Dare to Dream® program matches mentors with youth ages 11-22 who are experiencing foster care to navigate life’s challenges together. Mentors provide advice, encouragement, and a supportive community to help break down barriers and provide youth with the tools to overcome the downstream impacts of foster care that all too often plague youth who age out of foster care: lack of educational success, homelessness, poverty and incarceration. The simple act of telling a mentee “I believe in you,” “You are special,” and “You are going to do great things” can transform their journey entirely. Youth select their mentors to meet both practical and emotional needs, who will then guide them through tailored developmental milestones. Mentors meet with their youth regularly to build a strong relationship, set goals and help them achieve their dreams. (Cleveland, OH)
$40,000 prize
“Cleveland Angels is thrilled and honored to receive this recognition as a Small Organization Award recipient. This award will allow us to provide transformational relationship-driven support for youth aging out of care in Greater Cleveland. Thank you for enabling us to say yes to bringing more youth into our community-based programs!”
~Gretchen Dupps, Founder & Executive Director
The mission of The Felix Organization is to offer inspiring opportunities and new experiences to enrich the lives of children who are growing up in the foster care system. Felix has brought hope and joy to more than 16,000 foster children, making their lives better through enrichment programming like overnight camp, holiday events and gifts, cultural outings, after school and summer enrichment, leadership conferences, life skills training, and more. The Felix Organization recruits youth in the foster care system to participate in our youth programs with the support of our partner organizations- large child welfare agencies who have youth in their care. We work closely with their leadership and social work staff to enroll their young people into our camps and year-round programs.
Once a foster child attends Camp Felix, they become part of our supportive Felix community, enabling them to participate in our Counselor-in-Training program, The Level Up conference, and The Felix Youth Board. These programs specifically support older youth as they prepare to transition out of the foster care system, ensuring they have the skills and confidence needed for their future. Not only are these programs essential in building a safe and fun community, they also give foster youth opportunities for leadership training, personal growth and development, and hands-on job skills. (Locust Valley, NY)
$40,000 prize
“The Felix Organization is honored to be the recipient of this year’s AOI Small Organization Flame Award! We are proud to be recognized by our peers who are aligned with our mission to enrich the lives of youth aging out of foster care! These funds will further our diverse programming for the 1,500 children we support annually in New York City, Los Angeles and throughout the country. Along with AOI and our fellow award recipients, we work to not only enhance the immediate wellbeing of the foster children we serve, but equip them with the tools necessary for long-term success. Thank you AOI for making this possible!”
~Amanda Ricken Simonetta, Executive Director
Finally Family Homes is dedicated to empowering young adults aging out of foster care in Santa Clarita and beyond. They recognize the unique challenges these young adults encounter and offer a range of caring services designed to support their journey toward independence. Their programs include life skills training, housing assistance, and financial literacy education, along with opportunities for personal and professional growth. Their Host Homes program provides stable living arrangements with supportive families, while their Tiny Homes initiative offers a build-to-own model for those ready to take the next step. Rather than simply providing services, Finally Family Homes takes a collaborative approach, partnering with young adults and empowering them to take ownership of their futures. Together, they are creating a supportive community where every young person can thrive and realize their full potential. (Valencia, CA)
$40,000 prize
“For Finally Family Homes to be chosen by our peers as a 2024 Flame Award Recipient from the Aging Out Institute is a tremendous honor. We are grateful to be recognized alongside impactful organizations across the United States working to support youth aging out of foster care. At Finally Family Homes, we value our participation in the Aging Out Institute community, collaborating with like-minded organizations to share best practices and innovative approaches. This funding will enable us to use what we are learning to expand our services and enhance the resources available to transition-aged foster youth on their paths to independence. Thank you to AOI and our fellow advocates for coming together in this vital work to care for young adults striving for stability and success.”
~Christina Dronen, Executive Director
Mid-Size/Large Org/Program Winners
This category recognizes organizations or programs that have 11 or more full and part-time employees. The judges for this category have selected three organizations/programs that have outstanding services that deserve recognition this year. Read about the winners below. (Click the logo to go to the winner’s website.)
Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA)/Prince George’s County is a nonprofit dedicated to advocating for the best interests of youth experiencing foster care. Since 2001, they have served thousands of children, providing them with a strong volunteer advocate and a pathway to a brighter future. With a deep commitment to diversity and inclusion, they provide training and support to volunteers from the community to strengthen the voice of our children. They aim to promote the timely placement of children in foster care into safe, permanent homes while recognizing and respecting each child’s unique identity and circumstances.
Over 75% of the young people they serve are 14 years of age or older. It is crucial that they are prepared to age out with the proper tools and resources. CASA/Prince George’s County does this through providing a variety of support services to ensure that youth have the best possible outcomes, such as volunteer training, educational planning, collaboration with court and community partners, and emergent financial assistance for their older youth and those who have aged out of care. (Riverdale, MD)
$50,000 prize
“Being selected for the Aging Out Institute Award is an honor and a powerful testament to the relentless dedication of our staff, board members, and volunteers. This award strengthens our ability to elevate our brand to raise awareness about the needs of our young people and attract more volunteer advocates to help us disrupt the challenges faced by youth aging out of care.”
~Yolanda Johnson, Executive Director
At City Living NY, our mission is to empower youth aging out of foster care to transition successfully into adulthood by providing essential resources and in-depth support. Our programs ensure that young adults have the tools to build stable, independent lives by focusing on safe housing, career development, and educational opportunities. With 100% of participants maintaining their housing once secured, City Living NY demonstrates the power of a strong foundation in creating lasting change.
In addition to housing support, City Living NY offers a range of services, including parenting programs, mentorship opportunities, educational & employment support, and community building initiatives. Our work is grounded in the belief that every young person deserves the chance to thrive. Through individualized guidance and strengthened peer connections, we help youth set and achieve self-defined goals, build resilience, and establish meaningful independence. When foster care ends, our work begins—ensuring that no young adult must navigate the transition to adulthood alone. (New York, NY)
$50,000 prize
“City Living NY is honored to be a 2024 Aging Out Institute Award recipient, and to have the support of our peer agencies across the country. This award will allow us to continue to ensure every young person aging out of care in NYC has the support they need to thrive. We are thrilled to join the ranks of previous AOI winners making a tremendous impact on the lives of our young people.”
~Liz Northcutt, Executive Director
Good Samaritan Boys Ranch’s Transitional Living Program equips young adults ages 16-23 with the skills, connections, and support they need to age out of foster care and enter adulthood with confidence and stability. Good Samaritan is Missouri’s preferred Transitional Living provider. As the largest program of its kind in the state, one third of all transition-aged youth in foster care walk through Good Samaritan’s doors every year.
In the first phase of the program, 16-18-year-olds earn their high school diploma, get a driver’s license, open a savings account, and build a foundational set of skills and relationships to build on in adulthood. In the second phase, 18–21-year-olds move into apartments throughout Springfield to get real world experience at navigating a lease, paying rent and utilities, buying a car, balancing work and school, and saving for the future. In 2024, Good Samaritan launched Fostering Stability, the third and final phase of the program. Fostering Stability will provide monthly financial gifts to youth for their first 24 months after foster care to help them develop the financial mobility needed to overcome crises, enrich their lives, and expand their vision for the future. (Brighton, MO)
$50,000 prize
“It is such an honor for our program to be chosen for this award by the Aging Out Institute. Our staff at Good Samaritan Transitional Living work hard every day to ensure that the foster youth in our programs not only have their basic needs met, but are given the opportunity to grow and thrive as young adults. For our program, and our youth, to be seen by the Aging Out Institute as doing just that is incredible. This award will allow us to continue this work and to expand what we can offer to the young people in our program. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!“
~Alissa Jecklin, Director of Transitional Living
Youth Impact Winner
This category recognizes organizations or programs (any size) that have an effective process for measuring and tracking the impact of their services on the youth they serve, as well as the demonstration of actual positive impact on their youth over time. The judges for this category have selected one organization that has outstanding strategies for measuring the impact that their services have on their youth. Read about the winner below. (Click the logo to go to the winner’s website.)
To quote Bishop Desmond Tutu “There comes a point when we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they are falling in.” This theory drives the mission and activities at DFW Angels. Their goal is to prevent children experiencing foster care from “falling into the river” by helping to stop the unacceptable, all-too common outcomes experienced by this population. The mission at DFW Angels is to walk alongside children, youth, and families in the foster care community by offering consistent support through intentional giving, relationship building, and mentorship. The focus of their program is to build relationships with children and families in the foster care system and provide a network of support for the entire family. The Love Box and Dare to Dream programs, help them reach children and youth in foster care, BEFORE they age out so that they can equip them with good, healthy relationships, that in turn, help them develop life skills that will sustain them for the rest of their lives. Their programs are a unique and innovative approach that not only raises awareness of the foster care crisis but engages the community by providing an accessible way to make a difference. (Dallas, TX)
$90,000 prize
“DFW Angels is deeply honored to have been chosen for the 2024 Youth Impact Award from the Aging Out Institute. To be recognized by your peers is extremely humbling and we are so grateful to do this work alongside so many amazing organizations. This grant is a lifeline to us. It will allow us to continue our support of children and youth experiencing foster care. It will allow us to match capable adults with youth who desperately need a consistent and healthy relationship as they navigate life.”
~Erin White, Founder and Executive Director