Do you remember the feeling you had when you graduated from high school or college? Weren't you just so full of joy and wanting to share that with others? Didn't it feel great to hear “Congratulations?”  Imagine what that would feel like if you had moved multiple times during high school and maybe even changed schools multiple times. Imagine if you had no family to help you celebrate your achievement – an achievement made under such difficult unstable circumstances as living in foster care. ILYA (Independent Living for Young Adults) is the First U social justice project that makes sure these young people aging out of foster care feel their graduation is celebrated. With your help, they each receive a gift backpack full of useful items to take on to a college dorm or new apartment and an invitation to the graduation pizza party.
Can you help ILYA one more time this year by donating to support a celebration for these graduates? Checks can be made out to First U with “ILYA Graduation” on the memo line. Barbara Perry and Amy Barch will gladly accept your donation in the parish hall during coffee hour or you can send it to the church (730 Halstead Rd., Wilmington, DE 19803).