Foothill Family Service Celebrates Teen Family Services Class of 2015 Graduates

For pregnant and parenting teens, celebrating a high school graduation can be a luxury rather than an expectation. Statistically, only half of women who have a child as a teenager will receive a high school diploma before the age of 22. Teen parents face much more than heavy homework loads and difficult classes; these young women and men must also actively care for a growing child while sometimes struggling amid poverty, homelessness, and abuse.

However, the youth involved in Teen Family Services at Foothill Family have additional support and access to resources to help them persevere through challenges that extend far beyond those inherent in adolescence. Through family-focused case management, Foothill Family’s program enables the teens to develop the skills necessary to continue their education while raising a young child or preparing to have a baby.

On June 19, 2015, Foothill Family Service will host local leaders and family members to celebrate the graduation of 70 pregnant and parenting teens at the Courtyard Marriott in Baldwin Park. Teens from the San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys, Glendale, and Burbank, will celebrate their graduation and receive certificates of recognition for their participation in the Teen Family Services program.

Among these community supporters are representatives from the offices of Congresswoman Judy Chu; State Senators Ed Hernandez and Carol Liu; and Assembly Members Ian Calderon, Roger Hernandez, and Chris Holden. Community supporters and members of the Foothill Family Service Board of Directors will also be in attendance. This year’s Mistress of Ceremonies is Norma Roque, anchor on Univision’s KMEX-TV Channel 34. San Gabriel Valley Deputy Director Rachel Barbosa, who was raised by a single mother and herself became a single mother as a teen, will deliver an inspirational address.

Foothill Family Service was founded in 1926 and provides a range of community-based mental health and social services to at-risk populations in the San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys, Glendale, and Burbank. Foothill Family Service has earned a reputation for providing high-quality services aimed at empowering families and strengthening communities. Programs include mental health and school-based counseling for children, child abuse prevention and treatment, domestic violence prevention and treatment, early child development programs, services for pregnant teens and their babies, family counseling, and youth development. Last year, more than 22,000 children and their families benefited from Foothill Family Service’s life-changing programs. For more information, please call (626) 993-3000 or visit the website at www.foothillfamily.org.