Our Story
A team of students at San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara, led by teacher and foster parent, Frank Koroshec, founded the Resource Family Association Student Support Team (RFASST) in the fall of 2015.
Initially, RFASST’s focus was to support the local Resource Family Association (RFA) and Foster Kinship Continuing Education (FKCE) by providing childcare at monthly Parents in Progress (PiP) trainings. The following year, after receiving a $10,000 grant from local nonprofit Kids Helping Kids (KHK), RFASST expanded its programming, enabling the organization to provide more support to resource families throughout Santa Barbara County.
In addition to working alongside and training the students at PiP trainings:
We hired Deise Capristo and Jonathan Thompson from Child Abuse Listening and Mediation (CALM) to develop curriculum that enhances life skills and encourages healing for foster youth. Furthermore, thanks to the generosity of Lillian Pipersburg, Resource Family Mentor and Trainer, we are able to provide CPR training for students.
We host a series of Meet Ups, where we invite resource families to enjoy various free events, such as Lane Farms, Ice in Paradise, and MOXI, with the intention of providing relational opportunities between the students and foster youth that may grow into sustained support for resource families. In conjunction with CWS, we host Parents’ Night Out, where resource families may drop off their children to play while the parents have time to reconnect or rest.
At SMHS, we host the RFASST Speaker Series, inviting students schoolwide to hear stories each month from individuals who have been impacted by the foster system, including foster/adopt parents, SMHS foster youth, therapists, social workers, etc.
In conjunction with KHK, we created a resource closet on campus to provide clothing and supplies for resource families.
We provide childcare for various community events in support of foster care.
RFASST aims to increase retention of foster parents through dedicated support to families, to educate students about the needs of the community, to increase empathy, and to encourage students to become future resource parents themselves.
Initially, RFASST’s focus was to support the local Resource Family Association (RFA) and Foster Kinship Continuing Education (FKCE) by providing childcare at monthly Parents in Progress (PiP) trainings. The following year, after receiving a $10,000 grant from local nonprofit Kids Helping Kids (KHK), RFASST expanded its programming, enabling the organization to provide more support to resource families throughout Santa Barbara County.
In addition to working alongside and training the students at PiP trainings:
We hired Deise Capristo and Jonathan Thompson from Child Abuse Listening and Mediation (CALM) to develop curriculum that enhances life skills and encourages healing for foster youth. Furthermore, thanks to the generosity of Lillian Pipersburg, Resource Family Mentor and Trainer, we are able to provide CPR training for students.
We host a series of Meet Ups, where we invite resource families to enjoy various free events, such as Lane Farms, Ice in Paradise, and MOXI, with the intention of providing relational opportunities between the students and foster youth that may grow into sustained support for resource families. In conjunction with CWS, we host Parents’ Night Out, where resource families may drop off their children to play while the parents have time to reconnect or rest.
At SMHS, we host the RFASST Speaker Series, inviting students schoolwide to hear stories each month from individuals who have been impacted by the foster system, including foster/adopt parents, SMHS foster youth, therapists, social workers, etc.
In conjunction with KHK, we created a resource closet on campus to provide clothing and supplies for resource families.
We provide childcare for various community events in support of foster care.
RFASST aims to increase retention of foster parents through dedicated support to families, to educate students about the needs of the community, to increase empathy, and to encourage students to become future resource parents themselves.
Vision Statement
RFASST aims to care for and support foster youth, to increase retention of foster parents through sustained support to foster families, and to educate students about the needs of the community and encourage them to become future foster parents themselves.