Last year around Thanksgiving, Antoinette Rucker found herself dining on popcorn. This year, the freshman at Albany State University spent the holiday in style.
"I have my own room, a big bed and a flat-screen," said Rucker, 18, a social work major. "I've never experienced anything like this."
Rucker was among 16 college students treated to a fun-filled "Holidays of Hope" weekend at Chateau Elan winery and resort in Braselton. President and CEO Henk Evers partnered with the Orange Duffle Bag Foundation -- a nonprofit organization that supports youths in foster care or who have aged out of the system -- to provide a stress-free week to students with nowhere to go for the Thanksgiving break.
"I probably would have stayed on campus by myself," Rucker said, noting that family dysfunction prevented her from visiting her immediate relatives. Instead, she took a bike ride on the resort grounds, went shopping with a $100 gift card provided by Tanger Outlets and caught up with students with whom she had lost contact since leaving for school.
The week, organized around a series of events including a Thanksgiving meal, a makeover party with L'Bel cosmetics, cooking lessons with the executive chef of Chateau Elan and a Friday night concert by singer, songwriter and ODBF celebrity spokesman Kevin Montgomery, was an opportunity to relax and reflect.
"Ever since I got here I have been really at peace," said Sebastian Mensah, 19, a biology major at Paine College in Augusta. "In my dorm it was constant chaos. Here you can just think and enjoy yourself."
The students -- some of whom are beneficiaries of Georgia's Independent Living Program, which helps foster youths ages 14 to 25 transition into adulthood -- recognized their unique position not only as guests at a high-end resort but as college students.
Only 2 percent of youths in foster care manage to go to college, and even fewer graduate, said Echo Garrett, president and co-founder of ODBF with Sam Bracken, a former Georgia Tech football player turned executive who has used the story of his own tough childhood to help other youths. Bracken's "Seven Rules for the Road" provide the foundation of the program, which helps youths take responsibility for their lives. Bracken and Garrett, unpaid volunteers who founded the organization in 2010, have introduced the program to about 1,000 students in Georgia and Utah, with 42 foster youths in both states having graduated from the pilot program. A new class of 30 youths in Georgia started the 12-week course this fall.
College is often the first step in making their dreams come true, but despite assistance from programs such as Georgia ILP, which can cover some tuition, students often find themselves in need.
"We try to be a connector as much as we can," Garrett said. "Unless a person self-identifies as a ‘legal orphan,' the institutions they attend may not know and be able to offer guidance."
But after years of being labeled in the foster care system, identifying themselves as orphans is something many students want to avoid.
"We try to make them aware that if they speak up and let people know they need help, they can benefit," Garrett said.
It was a lesson that Diamond Grimes, 19, hoped to take with her when she returned to Darton College in Albany, where she is studying pre-veterinary medicine. "It is hard for me to ask for things," Grimes said. "If I am going through a situation, I can go a long time without asking for anything. I have been trying to learn to ask for help."
Tanisha Baker, 23, has made it her mission to help address the needs of students who have aged out of foster care on the campus of Savannah State University. Baker, a social work major, is launching a program to create a pantry containing items such as laundry detergent and personal care items for the five men and women on campus who are members of her blossoming organization. "I got excited about the idea of helping with things they need, but also having a support group," Baker said.
So while they certainly enjoyed the perks of a stress-free week, the students said what really resonated with them was the kindness of others and the understanding that one person can have a profound impact on their lives.
"[Evers] really didn't have to do this," Mensah said. "He did it out of the goodness of his heart. Humility is something I want to take away from this."
Event preview
Interested in supporting the Orange Duffle Bag Foundation? The fundraiser, "A World of Possibilities for Youth in Foster Care," features entertainment, food and wines from around the world. Meet ODBF graduates and co-founder Sam Bracken. All proceeds from the event, which includes a silent auction, benefit ODBF.
6:30-10 p.m. Sunday. $75.
Delta Air Transport Heritage Museum, 1060 Delta Blvd., Building 8 Atlanta
For tickets and information: 770-845-9800 or
