COURTESY PHOTO
The Excellerate program at Holy Trinity Episcopal in Melbourne holds a classroom meeting recently.

Aging out of a foster system can be brutal. Some teens end their stay with nothing but a black plastic bag in which to pack their belongings. They are left to the streets, open to the devastating possibilities of homelessness and addiction.

But there is hope now for some teens, thanks to Excellerate, an outreach program at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Melbourne.

Like its sister outreach, Community of Hope, Excellerate is a program brought to Holy Trinity by a new parishioner who experienced the outreach initiative elsewhere.

Lisa Soloway is leading the program at Holy Trinity after having volunteered at the Calvary Christian Center in Ormond Beach. The Holy Trinity Excellerate program will be a community partnership that enlists the help of other nonprofits and volunteers from other churches in addition to Holy Trinity. The program will launch at Holy Trinity in January 2018.

“There is a huge need in Brevard County, based on my meetings with Brevard Family Partnership – the lead agency that is contracted by the state of Florida to manage the foster care program in Brevard County,” Soloway said. “I have also met with other agencies that take care of foster teens in Melbourne, such as The Haven for Children, Devereux, Children’s Home Society and Eckerd Kids.”

The need to care for foster children who have aged out of the system actually extends way beyond Brevard. “There are many teens who age out of foster care in every county of Florida,” Soloway said. “Many of them struggle to finish high school, much less have the adults they need in their life to encourage them go to college.

“My husband, Pete, and I adopted our daughter, and fourth child, from foster care in Connecticut in 2002 at the age of 8,” Soloway said. “I could not imagine her being sent out on her own without any emotional and financial support at 18.”

Foster teens who are sent out on their own are statistically at a higher risk of being homeless and hungry, as well as addicted to drugs and alcohol, Soloway said. To address that problem, Excellerate will implement a plan for six to 10 foster teens to complete a 16-week program that includes two sessions a week, one on Christian life and another on life skills.

The sessions will be held in a classroom environment that is vibrant and full of challenges to push young people forward in their academic and life-skills study.

The sessions have many upsides. Teens have someone familiar to help them with educational challenges as parish mentors and educators provide assistance. Skills that are taught help the teens build personal relationships and form a bond with their community.

Holy Trinity parishioners will volunteer as mentors, instructors and tutors for the participating teens. The meetings will be followed by opportunities for fellowship and worship with parishioners.

Teens who are able to successfully complete the program will receive a used car, along with a commitment from Excellerate to help the young person with car maintenance for one year.

“We have a great need in Brevard County for the Excellerate program,” Soloway said. “I am excited that our church will be making such a difference in the life of teens aging out of foster care.”

Excellerate was founded in 2012 by Pastor Allen Griffin. He and his team are looking to expand Excellerate across the country. Parishes interested in starting their own Excellerate program are asked to please write them at P.O. Box 731439, Ormond Beach, FL 32173 or call 386-672-5571, ext. 337.