Scholarship Gives Kinship Youth a Time to Shine

“Kids thrive when they get to do something they love, and kinship youth deserve that opportunity, too,” says Seeds Community Center Executive Director Christe LePeau.

When Patricia and her husband began offering kinship care for their adopted daughter’s two younger siblings, ages 7 and 8, nearly two years ago, their daughter was already active in karate, and their kinship kids wanted to join in. But on a tight budget already being stretched to care for two more children, Patricia couldn’t see how to afford more classes.

“As two teachers we would not be able to afford to put three kids in martial arts without financial assistance,” Patricia says. “The kids would miss out and would wonder why their sister could participate in the activity and not them.”

Enter the Enrichment Matters Scholarship provided by Seeds Community Center, which covers up to $600 in fees to pay for extracurricular activities for children in kinship care. (Because of the generosity of our donors, Seeds Community Center was able to increase the scholarship amount to $1,000 per child as of August 2023.) Thanks to the scholarship, Patricia was able to enroll her kinship children in karate, too.

And, while participating in a karate class may be a typical activity for many kids, it carries extra meaning for children in kinship care, who have been separated from their biological parents.

“It allows the kids to feel a part of a community outside of our family and school. It also makes the kids feel more a part of our family, since they are all participating in the activity,” Patricia says.

Creating strong family ties in the midst of stress and uncertainty is a challenge kinship caregivers are constantly facing, explains Christe LePeau, executive director of Seeds Community Center.

“Adding a child to your existing family unit through kinship care will cause turmoil in even the most stable of households, and every member of the family is impacted by the change,” says LePeau. “Often, established relationships will need to morph in unique ways. It takes great care and intentionally to adapt to being this new family unit, especially with the added complexity that the arrangement may be temporary.”

Patricia reports that the kids are enjoying earning rewards through hard work, such as performing belt tests or in tournaments. Plus, the extra activity benefits them physically and emotionally.

Says Patricia, “It is a fun activity in which they are learning a skill they can keep with them for the rest of their lives.”

Adds LePeau, “Kids thrive when they get to do something they love, and kinship youth deserve that opportunity, too.”

The Enrichment Matters Scholarship Program is 100% donor-funded. Donate online to support the scholarship fund and other Seeds Community Center programs.