All month long for September, a local coffee shop, Hanai Coffee and Cocktails, has partnered with us to celebrate 'Football for Fosters’. Football for Fosters is a fundraising campaign that benefits local foster youth by making sure they’re given the opportunity to play on the field and participate in organized sports. 100% of these contributions will go to sports equipment and sports scholarships for local foster youth at Ohana.

“Hi, my name is Dylan and I’m 7 years old. My favorite sport is basketball! I love playing basketball because I get to play with my brothers and friends. I love running around and shooting the ball… I feel like a superstar when I make a basket. My dream when I go to high school is to be the starting point-guard on the varsity team.” - Dylan (has been in Ohana’s care for two years)

Why are sports and extracurriculars important for foster youth? Research has found youth that play sports have higher levels of self-esteem, self-efficacy, and social support; which is important because mental and behavioral health is the largest unmet health need for these children and teens. Research has also found that 96% of dropouts in 14 school districts in seven regions of the nation were not participating in an athletic program.

Here at Ohana we want to create normalcy for our youth. Normalcy is the ability for our youth to easily participate in age-appropriate social, scholastic and enrichment activities. These activities are important because they prepare children for life as an adult.

If you are interested in supporting this fundraising campaign, feel free to stop by at Hanai this month (3648 W Southern Ave #150, Phoenix, AZ 85041). For every $1 donation in September, they will hang-up a football to show your support.