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KQED RADIO FEATURES FIRST PLACE FOR YOUTH
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8/9/2010
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KQED radio featured two First Place youth in a segment on emancipating foster youth. The story highlights the issues of homelessness and unemployment foster youth face when they age out, and the importance of supporting pending legislation (Assembly Bill 12) that will give these vulnerable youth a tangible opportunity to succeed.
Click here to listen to the KQED segment and please share with your friends.
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FIRST PLACE ADVOCATES FOR AB 12
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8/5/2010
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First Place Chief Policy Officer Deanne Pearn and Stephan, a youth in program, at the California State Capitol.
On Wednesday, August 4, First Place for Youth staff and youth traveled to the California State Capitol in Sacramento to advocate on behalf of Assembly Bill 12, which would provide foster youth with additional support until the age of 21. Staff and youth met with key state senators to urge them to support the legislation, which would assist former foster youth in their successful transition to adulthood and save California money over the long term. Assembly Bill 12 was passed by the California Assembly and is currently in the California Senate Appropriations Committee. If it passes in the Appropriations Committee, the bill will move to a vote by the full senate vote and then on to the Governor’s desk for his signature.
For more information on Assembly Bill 12 and how you can take action, click here.
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YOUTH BBQ 2010
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7/14/2010
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First Place for Youth hosted our annual Youth BBQ on Saturday, June 26 at Mosswood Park in Oakland. Youth enjoyed tasty barbeque, music, games, arts and crafts, raffle and a talent show. The warm, sunny day was the perfect setting for this annual event that First Place hosts specifically for former foster youth in our community, many of whom are in First Place’s housing program. Thank you to all those who donated and volunteered! Click here to see more photos from the party.
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6TH GRADERS RAISE $5,000 TO BENEFIT YOUTH AT FIRST PLACE
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6/11/2010
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THANK YOU to the 6th graders at Piedmont Middle School (in Piedmont, CA) who used their walk-a-thon to raise $5,000 for youth at First Place! Ted Scherman, 6th grade teacher at Piedmont Middle School, presents a check to Bobby Lee, a First Place program participant.
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FIRST PLACE IN THE OAKLAND TRIBUNE
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5/14/2010
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Columnist Byron Williams wrote a great piece about First Place and the need to keep California state funding for transition age foster youth intact. The article ran in the Oakland Tribune, Contra Costa Times and the San Jose Mercury News. Read it in full here.
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THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME 2010 RAISES OVER $215,000
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5/11/2010
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 On Friday May 7th, 400 guests converged at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco for the 12th annual There's No Place Like Home gala. Hosted by KTVU's Heather Holmes, the event raised $215,000 to benefit youth aging out of foster care. Guests bid on unique auction items and met Youth Ambassadors, First Place for Youth program participants. The Community Hero Award was presented to Leigh Anne Tuohy, the real life inspiration behind the film The Blind Side for bringing the plight of foster youth to the nation’s consciousness. Click here to watch Leigh Anne's speech, where she challenged us to make a difference in our community on behalf of foster youth.
The most poignant moment of the evening was the keynote speech delivered by Brioni Harris, a First Place alumna. Brioni told the powerful story of her childhood, her time in foster care and the obstacles she is overcoming as she makes a successful transition into adulthood. Click here to watch Brioni's speech. More info on There's No Place Like Home 2010.
Photos from There's No Place Like Home 2010.
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SAM COBBS RECEIVES JAMES IRVINE FOUNDATION LEADERSHIP AWARD
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5/3/2010
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FPFY CEO Sam Cobbs has received the prestigious James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award for his work at First Place! The award acknowledges extraordinary leaders who are advancing innovative and effective solutions to significant state issues. Watch the video the First Place video the James Irvine Foundation created for the award below.
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OUR SPRING 2010 NEWSLETTER IS HERE!
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4/26/2010
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Meet Stephan, view photos from our youth holiday party and read about how volunteers are increasing their impact among our youth. Download your copy here.
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There's No Place Like Home 2010
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3/31/2010
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TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Join us on Friday, May 7 at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco for the 12th Annual There’s No Place Like Home celebration. Hosted by KTVU’s Heather Holmes, this year’s gala honors community hero Leigh Anne Tuohy and will feature live and silent auctions, elegant dining and wine tastings. Tuohy is the adoptive mother of NFL rookie Michael Oher and real-life inspiration for Sandra Bullock’s Academy Award winning performance in The Blind Side. Live and silent auctions will feature one-of-a-kind sports, power lunches, electronics, entertainment and wine items, and vacation packages at the Riviera Maya, Cakebread Cellars River Ranch, Loire Valley, Sea Ranch, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Tickets and info are here.
Leigh Anne Tuohy, 2010 Community Hero Award honoree
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FIRST PLACE PROFILED IN THE SF BUSINESS TIMES
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2/1/2010
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First Place and CEO Sam Cobbs are profiled in the 1/29/10 issue of the San Francisco Business Times. The profile touches on various nonprofit organizational issues like milestones, measures of success and misconceptions. Read the article in full here.
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FIRST PLACE TO RECEIVE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD FROM BALF
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1/7/2010
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The Bay Area Leadership Foundation will honor First Place with the 2010 Community Service Award at the East Bay Leadership Awards on January 23. The awards ceremony and gala will be at the Blackhawk Auto Museum in Danville.
“In today’s economy, we feel it is all the more important to recognize those who think of others first and celebrate those contributions to our community,” said Vintage Foster, founder and chair of the East Bay Leadership Foundation and the East Bay Awards. For tickets and more information about the East Bay Awards and First Place’s award, visit http://www.eblf.org, click on the “Events” menu, and click on “East Bay Awards”.
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YOUTH HOLIDAY PARTY 2009
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1/6/2010
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First Place for Youth hosted our annual Youth Holiday Party on Thursday, December 17 at Lake Merritt United Methodist Church in Oakland. Over 150 guests enjoyed holiday festivities, including a traditional turkey dinner with all the fixings, music, holiday games and crafts, and a photography station where party-goers could take professional family portraits or casual holiday snapshots. The party is an annual event specifically for former foster youth in our community, many of whom are in First Place’s housing program.
Thanks to all those who donated--including Fotomio and the volunteers from Temple Sinai in Oakland--for making the holidays brighter for Bay Area foster youth!
Click here to see more photos from the party.
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FIRST PLACE ON KPIX CBS 5
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12/21/2009
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 Bay Sunday Host Sue Kwon interviews First Place CEO Sam CobbsFirst Place for Youth was featured on KPIX CBS 5's Bay Sunday last weekend. Host Sue Kwon interviewed First Place CEO Sam Cobbs about the obstacles foster youth face when they age out of care and how First Place provides them with the opportunity to attain stable housing, higher education and living wage employment. Watch the clip here.
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FIRST PLACE IN BERKELEY DAILY PLANET
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12/17/2009
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The Berkeley Daily Planet profiled First Place for Youth and our programs to keep former foster youth from becoming homeless. The in depth article discusses the obstacles facing foster youth who age out and all services First Place makes available to them. Read the article here.
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UPCOMING YOUTH HOLIDAY EVENTS
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12/11/2009
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Join us for holiday fun at three upcoming events: Youth Holiday Party - Thurs 12/17
Festivities to include food, music, arts and crafts, talent show, raffle and more.
Christmas Movie Marathon - Mon 12/21
We'll be screening Christmas movies, nibbling on snacks and sipping hot chocolate.
Holiday Cookie Party - Tues 12/22
Bring your sweet tooth and your creativity because we'll be decorating holiday cookies. Make a special cookie for a friend or loved one, or just show off your decorating skills while enjoying a yummy holiday treat.
Visit our event calendar for details.
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ANNUAL REPORT 2009 IS HERE
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11/25/2009
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Click here to read our Annual Report for 2009.
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YOUTH PORTRAITS FROM FIRST PLACE'S THANKSGIVING PARTY
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11/25/2009
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A selection of youth portraits from our Thanksgiving party are up on our Facebook page. Click here to see a beautiful slide show of all the portraits. Thank you to Nightingale Photography for donating such great photos of our youth and staff at the party!
Nightingale has announced that they will donate to First Place 20% of the revenue from family portrait sessions now through the end of the holiday season. Book your session now to benefit First Place. Visit www.nightingalephotos.com for more info.
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FIRST PLACE FOR YOUTH IN STANFORD MAGAZINE
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11/20/2009
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First Place co-founder Deanne Pearn and Victoria, a youth in the Contra Costa county program, are featured in the November / December issue of Stanford Magazine. Read the article here.
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FIRST PLACE FOR YOUTH IN OAKLAND NORTH
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10/26/2009
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First Place's Adrienne Jackson is interviewed for this article on a study that finds significant barriers for former foster youth in finding employment. First Place, which assists youth in overcoming these barriers, is featured in the part about the benefits of employing former foster youth.
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YOUTH HALLOWEEN PARTY 2009
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10/14/2009
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Join us for our annual Halloween Party, where guests will enjoy games, trick-or-treating, food, prizes, music and more. All ages are welcome to attend and admission is free.
Alameda / San Francisco Counties
Friday, October 30, 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Contact Rudy Rosas at rrosas@firstplaceforyouth.org or 510.830.3630 for location and details.
Solano County
Thursday, October 29, 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Contact Terry Larkins at tlarkins@firstplaceforyouth.org or 707.430.4360 for location and details.
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FIRST PLACE RECEIVES RED CROSS COMMUNITY HERO AWARD
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9/30/2009
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First Place was honored by the American Red Cross at the San Francisco Heroes Breakfast on Thursday, September 24 at the Marine’s Memorial Club. This annual breakfast celebrates everyday heroes and recognizes those individuals and organizations that make a difference in their community through acts of extraordinary courage and kindness.
First Place CEO Sam Cobbs and Ruth, a First Place program participant, accept the Community Hero Award from American Red Cross CEO Harold Brooks.
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FPFY'S LETTER TO THE EDITOR PUBLISHED BY THE OAKLAND TRIBUNE
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9/7/2009
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The Oakland Tribune published First Place CEO Sam Cobbs' letter to the editor, opposing further state budget cuts that impact foster youth who age out of the system. The letter detailed the devastating impact of the $80 million cut in funding that Governor Schwarzenegger made to California Child Welfare Services and made the case for keeping remaining funding intact. Read the letter, which also ran in all Bay Area Newsgroup papers, here.
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BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT 2009 - THANK YOU!
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8/28/2009
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Over 70 youth attended our Back to School Night events in Alameda, Contra Costa and Solano counties. KTVU Channel 2 News attended the Alameda county event and interviewed youth for a segment on former foster youth starting college in the fall. Thank you to those who helped former foster youth get a good start to the school year by donating new backpacks and school supplies!
Franchel shows off his new backpack at the Alameda county Back to School Night on Wednesday, August 19.
KTVU reporter Heather Holmes interviews Sal.
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FIRST PLACE FEATURED ON KTVU NEWS
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8/21/2009
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KTVU TV / Channel 2 news covered First Place and our “Back to School Night” event for former foster youth who are starting college in the fall. For the piece, program participants Aaron and Sherri were interviewed about the experience of emancipating out of care and their plans for the future. Watch it here.
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FIRST STEPS COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER IN THE OAKLAND TRIBUNE
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8/8/2009
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First Place Executive Director Sam Cobbs and program participant Gina are interviewed for this profile on our new Community Resource Center, a space that provide a stronger safety net for young people in transition from foster care to successful adulthood. Read the article here.
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DONATE FOR BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHTS 2009
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7/28/2009
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Help former foster youth get a good start to the school year by donating new backpacks to any of these Back to School Night events: Contra Costa County by 5pm Thursday, August 13 @
2107 Clayton Road, Suite 207
Concord, CA 94513 Solano County by 5pm Monday, August 17 @
1545 N. Texas Street, Suite 100
Fairfield, CA 94533
Alameda County by 4pm Wednesday, August 19 @
519 17th Street, Suite 111
Oakland, CA 94612 For more information please contact Tarik Scott, Manager of Education & Employment at (510) 272-0979 x. 259 or tscott@firstplaceforyouth.org
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SUCCESSFUL UNVEILING OF OUR NEW COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER
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6/26/2009
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Our new Oakland Community Resource Center opened on June 25. Thanks to our friends and supporters who made this new space a reality for our youth! To read more about the festivities and see photos, click here.
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SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE PROFILES FIRST PLACE
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6/23/2009
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San Francisco Chronicle columnist, Chip Johnson profiles First Place for Youth and the grand opening of the First Steps Community Resource Center. Chip interviews Co-Founder, Deanne Pearn and First Place program participant, Beaunca Wilson. Click here to read the article.
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FIRST PLACE'S WINTER 2009 NEWSLETTER HAS ARRIVED
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1/22/2009
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Meet Le’Victoria. Recap our holiday activities and take a look into First Place’s plans for the future. Download your copy here.
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