IN HONOR OF OUR BELOVED LISA HAYWARD BASILE
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LISA HAYWARD BASILE
The Board has approved a newly created scholarship fund, for foster and other low-income college students, who are studying to become Art Teachers in the Massachusetts State University system. Those scholarships will be granted in honor of Lisa Basile who received her Bachelors in Art Education from Westfield State College and a Master of Fine Arts, from the Massachusetts College of Art. Lisa was a children's educator for years, teaching her students that the world around them is a beautiful place. She guided them to paint, draw, sculpt to add their personality and creativity into that beautiful world.
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The following excerpt was taken from a Thank You Letter received in reference to the scholarship recipients.
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"They are the makers, the storytellers, and the visionaries who ask the questions,
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What really matters? and What do I value?
These questions have become vital in the lives of young people today, and that gives me enormous hope for the future, as I know they will approach it with sincerity, integrity, curiosity, and resilience. They believe in the values of justice, compassion, beauty, and hope, And they are equipped to make the world a better place".
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Very sadly, Lisa passed in November of 2020. She was loved by so many and will always be immensely missed. She lives on in the grace, kindness and love that she shared with each and every person in her life. Now she also lives on through this scholarship program and the deserving recipients who will follow in her footsteps.
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GRANTS SOARING TO NEW HEIGHTS 2023
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In 2021 the foundation's grants had surpassed $50,000. In 2022 we exceeded that amount to a total of $55,000.
We are pleased to inform you that the Foundation grants for 2023 will total $56,000!
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The Kathryn A. Basile Foster A Dream Foundation has received over a half million dollars in
donations since its inception in 2009! Kathy provided the seed funding at the time of her
passing in order that her passion for educating children, especially those who are less
privileged, could live on. Thanks to your generosity, her dream lives on.
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The Foundation continues to support Communities Connected for Kids and their Road to Success Program, helping high school youth in foster care who are making key decisions that impact their future success., the Port St. Lucie, FL Boys and Girls Club, the Ben Franklin Institute of Technology and The University of Massachusetts in honor of Michael Caso and Lisa Basile.
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In the 15 years since her passing, Kathy is dearly missed, but her mission continues in earnest. The Foundation has continued to provide grants that have had a direct and positive impact on well over 200 young people who are the most vulnerable, and the most in need, in both Florida and Massachusetts.
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This has all been made possible by your long-term commitment and generosity. We thank each and every donor from the bottom of our hearts!
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DONATION TAKES ADOPT FOSTER FAMILY PROJECT TO A NEW LEVEL MAY 2020
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When CCKids unveiled its Adopt a Foster Family initiative earlier this month, project organizers thought they might attract enough community sponsors to serve half of the organization's caregivers.
"We weren't sure what to expect," said Christina Kaiser, CCKids community relations director and project participant. "There was a very short turn-around for getting sponsors."
And besides, she said, it was a new project.
Then a representative from the Kathryn A. Basile Foster a Dream Foundation reached out with a $5,000 contribution - enough to ensure that all foster parents who signed up for the project would receive a care package.
Stephen Basile, foundation president, said he learned about the project in a CCKids newsletter and reached out immediately.
"We have partnered with CCKids over the past 12 years," Basile said. "When we read about the Adopt a Foster Family drive, we felt compelled to help out during this very challenging time.
"We hoped to assure that the program reached as many foster families as possible."
The Foster a Dream Foundation was created 2009 in honor of Kathryn A. Basile, pictured above. Basile was a local child advocate whose life's passion was improving the lives of children in foster care.
The foundation annually supports CCKids programming, specifically its Road to Success program, which prepares teens and young adults for life after foster care.
If you would like to make a donation to CCKids, please contact Christina Kaiser or call (772) 873-7800.
FOSTER A DREAM FOUNDATION DONATES $5,000 TO FOOD BANK
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April 2020
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This week the foundation chose to think outside the box. This type of donation isn't typically where our assistance is given but in light of COVID-19 we couldn't help but think of all those who are struggling to put food on the table. Not only those in foster care, but with the current situation and unprecedented unemployment rates we clearly wanted to do our part and donate to The Treasure Coast Food Bank in Florida.
TEN YEAR MILESTONE
2019 marked the 10th Anniversary of The Kathryn A. Basile Foster A Dream Foundation. As an educator and administrator in the Port St. Lucie school system, owner of Sunflower Educare, and Director of the Children's Services Council, Kathy dedicated her working life to the well being, education, and improved quality of life for children and young adults.
In the 10 years since her passing, Kathy is dearly missed, but her mission continues in earnest. The Foundation has continued to provide grants that have had a direct and positive impact on over 200 young people who are the most vulnerable, and the most in need, in both Florida and Massachusetts. We continue to partner with Communities Connected for Kids, and their Road to Success Program, helping high school youth in foster care who are making key decisions that impact their future success. Also, the Michael Caso Scholarship Program is firmly in place providing essential Electrician's Text Books and Tool Bags to deserving freshmen recipients at the Ben Franklin Institute of Boston.
We hope you will continue to keep Kathy's foundation as part of your future charitable donations. The Foundation is a 501(c) (3) organization, so your gift is fully tax deductible. Most importantly, 100% of the money raised will go directly to these very deserving recipients.
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Your donations are truly making a difference!
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TEN YEAR MILESTONE
2019 marked the 10th Anniversary of The Kathryn A. Basile Foster A Dream Foundation. As an educator and administrator in the Port St. Lucie school system, owner of Sunflower Educare, and Director of the Children's Services Council, Kathy dedicated her working life to the well being, education, and improved quality of life for children and young adults.
In the 10 years since her passing, Kathy is dearly missed, but her mission continues in earnest. The Foundation has continued to provide grants that have had a direct and positive impact on over 200 young people who are the most vulnerable, and the most in need, in both Florida and Massachusetts. We continue to partner with Communities Connected for Kids, and their Road to Success Program, helping high school youth in foster care who are making key decisions that impact their future success. Also, the Michael Caso Scholarship Program is firmly in place providing essential Electrician's Text Books and Tool Bags to deserving freshmen recipients at the Ben Franklin Institute of Boston.
We hope you will continue to keep Kathy's foundation as part of your future charitable donations. The Foundation is a 501(c) (3) organization, so your gift is fully tax deductible. Most importantly, 100% of the money raised will go directly to these very deserving recipients.
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Your donations are truly making a difference!
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TEN YEAR MILESTONE
2019 marked the 10th Anniversary of The Kathryn A. Basile Foster A Dream Foundation. As an educator and administrator in the Port St. Lucie school system, owner of Sunflower Educare, and Director of the Children's Services Council, Kathy dedicated her working life to the well being, education, and improved quality of life for children and young adults.
In the 10 years since her passing, Kathy is dearly missed, but her mission continues in earnest. The Foundation has continued to provide grants that have had a direct and positive impact on over 200 young people who are the most vulnerable, and the most in need, in both Florida and Massachusetts. We continue to partner with Communities Connected for Kids, and their Road to Success Program, helping high school youth in foster care who are making key decisions that impact their future success. Also, the Michael Caso Scholarship Program is firmly in place providing essential Electrician's Text Books and Tool Bags to deserving freshmen recipients at the Ben Franklin Institute of Boston.
We hope you will continue to keep Kathy's foundation as part of your future charitable donations. The Foundation is a 501(c) (3) organization, so your gift is fully tax deductible. Most importantly, 100% of the money raised will go directly to these very deserving recipients.
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Your donations are truly making a difference!
You can also donate by check sent to:
P.O. Box 7338
Port St. Lucie, Fl 34985
FOSTER A DREAM RENEWED FOR ANOTHER YEAR 2020
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More local youth in foster care are graduating high school and heading to college – and the Kathryn A. Basile Foster a Dream Foundation is helping to make those academic dreams come true.
The foundation – established in 2010 to help meet the unfunded needs of youth aging out of foster care – awarded Communities Connected for Kids $10,000 late last year to help youth pay for high-school graduation expenses, college campus visits and other costs associated with making the transition into independence.
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A record 30 youth in foster care attended college last year, said Christina Kaiser, community relations director for CCKids.
The number of foster youth who graduated high school last year, though not as robust as college entry levels, also was strong at 14. That number holds steady from 2018 but represents a slight decreased from 2017, which was an all-time high for local teens graduating high school.
“It’s a small number, but important,” Kaiser said. “It’s a barometer of our system’s overall health and a credit to partners like the Foster a Dream Foundation that help create a stable environment for young people transitioning out of foster care.”
The foundation helps them meet expenses that ordinarily would be handled by family. That helps normalize the foster-care experience, she said.
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Since it was created in 2010 in memory of child advocate Kathryn A. Basile, Foster a Dream has contributed more than $70,000 and helped 134 teenagers and young adults in foster care.
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To learn more about Communities Connected for Kids, visit www.cckids.net
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LOCAL LEADERS' IMPACT ON FOSTER CARE SYSTEM
APRIL 2018
The Devereux Community Based Care Board of Directors recognized several local business leaders last month during a special reception honoring those whose contributions have positively impacted the local foster care system.
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Those recognized include Guardians for New Futures, the Kathryn A. Basile Foster a Dream Foundation, the Albert Wilson Foundation, Florida Community Bank and Minton Law, P.A.
“Together, these five groups contributed more than $76,000 in time, resources and donated goods,” said Christina Kaiser, community relations director for Devereux CBC, the non-profit organization that oversees child-welfare services in Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee and St. Lucie counties.
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Steven Basile, CEO of the Kathryn A. Basile Foster a Dream Foundation, is recognized by Devereux Community Based Care Board of Directors. (Photo: Christina Kaiser/For Luminaries)
Contributions range from coordinating large-scale Christmas drives and specialty camps for local children to funding projects that help youth in foster care transition into independence, Kaiser said.
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“This is more than simple donation,” she said. “What these five offer is partnership – something sustainable and that has had a significant impact on our system of care.”
The Kathryn A Basile Foster a Dream Foundation, for example, established a grant program to ensure that young people in foster care have the opportunity to visit college campuses, purchase laptops and order senior pictures, graduation gowns and other school-related items.
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FOUNDATION DONATES $10,000 TO FOSTER DREAMS
NOVEMBER 2016
Steve Basile presents the Kathryn A. Basile Foster a Dream award to Road to Success Program staff Miracle Thomas and Chris Martinez. Vero Beach – The Kathryn A. Basile Foster a Dream Foundation awarded Devereux Community Based Care $10,000 today, increasing its support of teens and young adults in foster care for the second year in a row.
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The award represents a 33 percent increase over last year and a 66 percent increase from the previous year. It will be used to pay for high-school graduation expenses, college campus visits and other costs associated with making the transition into independence.
“Foster a Dream normalizes the foster-care experience and creates incentives for academic achievement,” said Chris Martinez, supervisor for Devereux Community Based Care’s Road to Success program, which prepares young people for life after foster care. “More and more youth are choosing to go to college, and they need Foster a Dream to help pay for expenses – the increased gift will help us stay on top of demand.”
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In fact, 38 percent more young people accessed the fund this year than the previous year, Martinez said. And more than 90 percent of those clients accessed it for the first time, demonstrating an increased awareness of the fund. Following is a breakdown of how the fund was used:
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25 percent accessed the fund for high-school graduation expenses
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21 percent accessed the fund for college-related expenses
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30 percent purchased computers
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13.6 percent accessed the fund to pay for move-in and other apartment-related expenses
Kathryn A. Basile, for whom the foundation is named, believed that any child in foster care could find success with the right support, her brother and Foundation President Steve Basile said.
“She had a very special place in her heart for foster kids, and Foster a Dream provides the means to continue her work in a very meaningful way,” he said.
Since the foundation was created in 2010, Foster a Dream has contributed more than $45,000 and helped more than 70 teenagers and young adults in foster care.
The grant is used for college-bound, high-school seniors to participate in activities like homecoming, prom and Grad Night and to purchase items like class rings, yearbooks, caps and gowns and senior class shirts. The grant also has been used to purchase laptop computers for incoming college freshman and has allowed local youth interested in advocating on behalf of children in foster care to travel to Tallahassee and Washington D.C. to participate in legislative events.
“Aging out of foster care, heading to college – that’s a really stressful time,” said Miracle Thomas, youth worker in the Road to Success Program. “Knowing you have those funds in place to help pay for something like a computer takes a lot of the pressure off.”
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KATHY'S FOUNDATION HONORED TO ADD THE MICHAEL CASO SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
NOVEMBER 2016
Sadly, Michael Caso passed away in March of 2016.. Mike was a very dear, lifelong friend of the Basile family. He and his beautiful wife Brianne have been avid supporters of Kathy’s Foundation since its inception in 2009.
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Over 40 very generous donations were received in Michael’s honor, coming from many loved ones; family, friends and colleagues. This outpouring of love and generosity inspired us to establish an annual scholarship program in Mike’s name. We are pleased to announce the creation of “The Michael Caso Scholarship Program”. Initially, five $1,000 scholarships will be granted to young adults in foster care who enroll in educational and training programs to become a licensed electrician like Michael was.
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The Michael Caso Scholarship will be a permanent offering of the Foundation.
We hope you will continue to think of Michael and these young adults living in Foster Care when you make your annual donations. All donations are tax deductible and 100% of it goes directly to the children, teens & young adults.
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THE ROAD TO SUCCESS PROGRAM SHINING
SEPTEMBER 2015
So exciting to put a face to our success stories! This is just one story we are very proud of! Anthony benefited from Kathy's Foundation and look where he is today! A HUGE thank you to all of you who continue to support Kathy's Foundation!!! Devereux Community Based Care is proud of its Road to Success program and of its many success stories.
Anthony Williams is one of those success stories. Anthony, who will graduate with his AA from Santa Fe College in December, recently received an acceptance letter to the University of Florida. He will start at UF in January 2016 and will pursue a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
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Your donations are truly making wonderful things happen!