FLITE Center 2nd Annual Heroes Luncheon

FLITE Center to host 2nd Annual Heroes Luncheon entitled “We Rise” on Friday, September 20th.
· FLITE Center’s mission is to guide those aging out of foster care and other vulnerable youth for a successful transition to independence through housing, education, employment, and system of care coordination. At any given time, there are approximately 600 youth between the age of 18 and 23 that have exited the foster care system in Broward County and another 120 youth that are getting prepared for their transition out on their own. FLITE Center is a resource to connect young adults aging out of foster care with the full range of assistance that’s available in the community.
· The Luncheon will pay tribute to the unsung heroes from our community of care who champion young people in need of a hero. The event will honor FLITE Center's partners, funders and front-line staff from partnering organizations that provide support and dedicate their lives to changing the future of transitioning youth.
· The Honorees include:
o The "YouMatter" Award: The Gore Memorial Foundation and Jeremy Sahn - Shareholder at Becker
o TIL System of Care Hero Award: The Frederick A. Deluca Foundation
o TIL System of Care Impact Award: CareerSource Broward
o Collaborator of the Year Award: Broward County's Human Trafficking Coalition
o TIL System of Care - "Unsung Heroes"
o “Extraordinary Acts of Kindness” Award: Irma Doerfler, a FLITE Volunteer
o Lifetime Hero Award: Theresa Kennedy, Regional Human Trafficking Coordinator for the Department of Children & Families and Dion Smith, Assistant Director of Program Services for the Children's Services Council of Broward County
· All proceeds will benefit The FLITE Center including emergency housing needs for all youth transitioning to Independent Living in Broward County.
11 a.m. - Reception
12 p.m. – Luncheon

DETAILS: Individual Tickets are $65 per person and can be purchased on the FLITE CENTER Website. For any additional questions about tickets or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Luis Rosario at luis@flitecenter.org or 954-297-8848.
ABOUT FLITE CENTER:
The Fort Lauderdale Independence, Training and Education Center (FLITE), created by The Junior League of Greater Fort Lauderdale, The Community Foundation of Broward and the United Way of Broward County, opened its doors in 2009 offering comprehensive and seamless service delivery for youth aging out of Broward County’s child welfare system. FLITE Center’s renewed mission is to guide those aging out of foster care and other vulnerable youth for a successful transition to independence through housing, education, employment, and system of care coordination. The vision is that no youth face the journey to adulthood alone.
FLITE Center youth are referred directly from ChildNet and from agencies throughout the county who encounter transitioning youth in need. FLITE works collaboratively with over a dozen organizations to evaluate county and system-wide outcomes for young adults that help to highlight any need for system and process improvements and further program development. Working in partnership with each other has increased FLITE’s ability to fully serve and support youth facing any number of barriers, especially homelessness.
ChildNet’s Independent Living Unit along with various other service providers, outpost at FLITE Center making it easy for youth to access multiple services in one location. The intent was purposeful as it prevents youth from having to travel to various locations, getting bounced from agency to agency, in order to achieve one common goal. Along with FLITE’s partners, expanded, enhanced, and additional services and supports can now be seen across all domains and are pulled into one convenient location for the youth's access. For more information, please visit www.flitecenter.org