It happened! The 2019 Graduation Pizza Party was held last week and as you can see in the pictures, below, a great time was had by all. High school grads, college grads, vocational school grads, foster care alumnae, Sophia Cywinksi, manager of the state’s Independent Living Program, Independent Living Coordinators...

Once again the partnering relationship ILYA (Independent Living for Young Adults) has established with other organizations has expanded our ability to serve youth who have aged out of foster care. For the third year in a row, we have received a grant from the New Century Club of Newark that...

ILYA (Independent Living for Young Adults) is wrapping up the preparation of 25 backpacks filled with items youth aging out of foster care can take with them to a dorm or first apartment. Why? These are gifts that you provide to celebrate their graduating from high school. And celebrate we...

Church members and friends have helped ILYA (Independent Living for Young Adults) meet two-thirds of our goal to provide backpack gifts and a pizza party for young people graduating from high school and aging out of foster care. The backpacks may be the only gifts these young people receive. The...

ILYA (Independent Living for Young Adults) is working hard to prepare the backpacks we give as gifts to young people graduating from high school and aging out of foster care. They will be distributed at the pizza party we give to celebrate their amazing achievement. “Amazing achievement?” you may be...

ILYA (Independent Living for Young Adults) is preparing the gift backpacks and arrangements for our Graduation Pizza Party. We have 25 grads this year who have aged out or are aging out of foster care (steadily increasing numbers every year!!). So we’re coming to you for help to make this...

Recently the ILYA (Independent Living for Young Adults) New Apartment Kit (NAK) team learned of a very touching and generous gift they were receiving. A friend of one of our volunteers is a Catholic woman of the old school who felt giving up candy and wine for Lent wasn’t really...

With so many new members in our congregation who may not know about ILYA (Independent Living for Young Adults) here’s a little overview. For 13 years this social justice program has provided support to young people who age out of foster care in New Castle County. They have often experienced...

It’s not only seniors that are anxiously and excitedly thinking about the upcoming graduation season. ILYA (Independent Living for Young Adults) has already started planning for our 2019 Graduation Backpack and Pizza Party. As for many years in the past, we are preparing gift backpacks filled with items the graduate...

At the service on February 10, Sammon, a young woman who had aged out of foster care at age 18 and to whom ILYA (Independent Living for Young Adults) has been giving support, told her story. She told us how she overcame significant trauma to start moving toward her goals....

First Unitarian Church of Wilmington is the birthplace of the Independent Living for Young Adults (ILYA) social justice program. Since its beginnings, members and friends of the church have been very generous supporters allowing early volunteers like Betty Wier, Barbara Crowell, Barbara Perry, J. Harry Feldman, Henrietta McKelvey and many...