Event raises $200,000 to support young women aging out of foster care system

BOSTON – Youth Villages Massachusetts’ inaugural Rockin’ for Janie event, held Oct. 25 in partnership with Steven Tyler’s Janie’s Fund, raised more than $200,000 to support young women aging out of the foster care system.

More than 300 attendees celebrated ‘A Night of Hope and Healing,’ including Massachusetts Congressman Joe Kennedy, III.

The money raised, which included a matching gift from Janie’s Fund, will support young women in LifeSetTM, an evidence-informed program designed by Youth Villages to assist young adults ages 17 to 22 who need intensive help to transition into an independent adulthood successfully.

During the night, attendees enjoyed live music from Last Child and learned more about issues facing young people who experience and age out of foster care. A current LifeSet participant, 20-year-old Stephanie, spoke about her experience in foster care and success with the program.

“The LifeSet program has really helped me through the process of breaking cycles of instability, which had become a theme in my life,” Stephanie said. “Now, I’m excited to say that my life is the most stable it’s ever been. I am forever thankful for supporters like you… and for the LifeSet program for helping me move closer to meeting my goals.”

Since 2016, Janie’s Fund has contributed more than $500,000 to support young women in Youth Villages Massachusetts’ LifeSet program.

“We are so grateful to our generous sponsors and especially our presenting sponsors, Yvette Lowenthal-Mulderry and Peter Mulderry, as well as our Rockin’ for Janie attendees,” said Matt Stone, executive director of Youth Villages Massachusetts and New Hampshire. “The funds raised will help further support our efforts in helping young women in Massachusetts acquire housing, secure transportation and find jobs, helping to prepare them for the future on their own.”

Donations are still being accepted online at www.youthvillages.org/rockin-for-janie. To learn more or get involved, visit www.youthvillages.org.

Janie’s Fund is a philanthropic initiative created by Steven Tyler in partnership with one of America’s most effective nonprofits, Youth Villages. Named after Aerosmith’s 1989 hit, “Janie’s Got a Gun,” which tells the story of a young girl who was abused by her father, Janie’s Fund provides hope and healing for many of our country’s most vulnerable girls who have survived the trauma of abuse and neglect. Through Janie’s Fund, Tyler is using his big voice to give a voice to thousands of victims who haven’t had one. For more information, visit JaniesFund.org.

Youth Villages is a national leader in children’s mental and behavioral health. Annually, the organization serves tens of thousands of children, families and young people across the U.S. Youth Villages’ continuum of programs includes intensive in-home services; foster care and adoption; residential and intensive residential treatment campuses; LifeSet for youth transitioning from foster care into adulthood; mentoring; and crisis services. The organization has been recognized by the Harvard Business School and U.S. News & World Report, and was identified by The White House as one of the nation’s most promising results-oriented nonprofit organizations. Learn more at YouthVillages.org.