Fostering Opportunities Scholarships (FOS) is an affiliate of the Ocean Beach Community Foundation.
We are a 501 (C)(3) non-profit foundation. (ID #33-087-1198)
We are a 501 (C)(3) non-profit foundation. (ID #33-087-1198)
HistoryAs a former foster parent and teacher in the San Diego Juvenile Court and Community School system, Katie O. Whalen-Elsbree would bake birthday cakes for her students. Then one day, the student they had celebrated the day before didn’t show up for class. That’s when Elsbree realized that he’d aged out of the Foster Care system.
It was an “Aha!” moment for Elsbree, and she realized something needed to be done to help former foster youth make it through college. Since 1986 Elsbree had helped communities set up college funds to send local students to college through Scholarship America. So in 2002 she convinced a group of friends that a foundation to raise money to send former foster youth in San Diego County to college was just the ticket. From this circle of caring individuals, Fostering Opportunities Dollars for Scholars was born. The first grant was provided by the Thursday Club in Point Loma, and many grants since have come from San Diego Las Hermanas, the Rancho Santa Fe Women’s Fund, the Tierrasanta Junior Women’s Club, the Ocean Beach Woman's Club and numerous private donors. Today, the organization has evolved into Fostering Opportunities Scholarships and operates under the the umbrella of the Ocean Beach Community Foundation, a 501©(3) non-profit tax-exempt foundation. Fostering Opportunities Scholarships is managed by an all-volunteer Board of Directors. |
Contact InformationFostering Opportunities Scholarships
c/o Debbie Applebee 10601 Tierrasanta Blvd., Ste. G-166 San Diego 92124 [email protected] Mission StatementFostering Opportunities Scholarships(FOS) is an affiliate of the Ocean Beach Community Foundation. We are a 501(c) (3) non-profit foundation(ID#33-087-1198). Our goal is to expand the educational opportunities for foster students by providing mentors and financial support.
Founding MembersJackie Anderson, Retired Social Worker
Katie O. Whalen-Elsbree, Retired Educator Mary Jo Macomber, Nurse Bonnie Feinman, Retired Social Worker Bertie Berger-Darr, Retired Educator Geri Shea, Retired Educator Board MembersDebbie Applebee, Educator
Hakim Dysart, Previous Scholarship Recipient Katherine Backman, CPA Susan Clarke Crisafulli, Motivational Speaker Joshua Morse, Previous Scholarship Recipient Darcey Enarson, Nurse Kenny Enarson, Business Owner Homa Rafii, Retired School Librarian Kesia Williams, Previous Scholarship Recipient Barbara Ryan, SDSU Sociology Professor Geri Shea, Retired Educator Alyne Strusser, Retired Educator Cheryl Ward, Retired Grant Manager |
