We are honored to acknowledge & celebrate our Fair Futures Heroes!
We are honored to acknowledge and celebrate our
Fair Futures Heroes!
Fair Futures is a true collaboration and community made possible by the many individuals who contributed to its growth and success. This grassroots, youth-led movement started in 2018 and evolved into a coalition of over 100 organizations and the largest cross-sector collaboration in the history of child welfare. Today, there are 500+ Fair Futures staff across 37 organizations implementing the model, which supports over 4,000 young people who have experienced NYC's foster care and/or juvenile justice systems.
Nominate a Fair Futures Hero
Anyone can nominate a Fair Futures Hero!
One hero is chosen each month in the categories below:
Fair Futures Leader
Fair Futures Leader
Fair Futures Partner
Foster Care Coach, Tutor, or Specialist
Juvenile Justice Coach or Specialist
Fair Futures Partner
Foster Care
Coach, Tutor, or Specialist
Juvenile Justice
Coach or Specialist
This Month's Heroes
Pilar is a Program Director for the Graham SLAM program at Graham Windham. During her time at Graham, Pilar helped develop and scale the largest coaching program in NYC, serving over 400 young people, from which the Fair Futures model was developed. Pilar has been an instrumental leader in the launch, growth, and success of Fair Futures; she helped to improve and codify the model and played an important role during the advocacy campaign.
Over the last five years, Pilar has been a leader in the Fair Futures community, from speaking on the news and at public events; to being on panels in trainings and workshops; to representing Graham's best practices on the Implementation Committee over the last two years.
Fair Futures would not be where it is today without Pilar's leadership, long-term partnership, advocacy, and unwavering commitment and dedication to young people.
Monique Cody (aka "Coach Cody") is the longest-standing Fair Futures Coach and a true champion for young people in HeartShare St. Vincent’s Services supportive housing programs. She was among the very first to be trained and deeply embodies the Fair Futures culture and approach in all of her interactions. Coach Cody infuses a warm, positive, uplifting energy into every room she is in, which is one of the many reasons she is so beloved by the young people she supports.
Coach Cody not only invests in her young people - she invests in her professional development. She regularly attends systemwide trainings, workshops, and learning communities, and has been a leader and speaker on many panels over the last five years. Coach Cody most recently passed all the assessments and became "Fair Futures Certified"!
For all these reasons and more, Coach Cody is a Hero.
Erika Palmer is a Supervising Attorney at Advocates For Children and long-term partner of Fair Futures. For years before Fair Futures existed, Erika provided critical educational trainings, technical assistance, and advocacy support to staff at foster care agencies. When Fair Futures was first forming, Erika lead the development of the grades 6-12 educational materials, manual, and trainings, which she helps update, improve, and refine each year so all staff can best support their students.
Over the last five years, Erika has trained all 500+ Fair Futures staff and advised them with some of the most complex educational cases. Every day, she goes above and beyond to advocate for students and support the staff who serve them. Erika's deep expertise on the middle and high school selection process and the training and support she provides to all Fair Futures Middle School Specialists reversed a trend of students in care entering high schools with average graduation rates significantly below the City average. For the first time in history, and for the last 3 years in a row, students in care are entering high schools with average graduation rates Above the City!
Fair Futures would not be where it is today without Erika's leadership, thought partnership, advocacy, strategic advice, educational expertise, and unwavering commitment and dedication to young people. She is a pillar of the Fair Futures community.
Natasha Lifton is one of the founding leaders and champions of Fair Futures. Natasha helped conceive the advocacy strategy behind the Fair Futures movement and coordinated with ACS and the Foster Care Excellence Fund (now the Youth & Families Forward Fund) to launch a public-private partnership that funded the youth-led advocacy campaign and infrastructure needed to develop, codify, and scale the Fair Futures model systemwide.
As an active member of the Fair Futures Steering Committee, Advocacy Committee, and Advisory Board, Natasha has been involved in every aspect of Fair Futures since its inception, from coalition-building, advocacy, and communications strategies to advising on organizational change.
Natasha's leadership helped secure $5 million in philanthropic investments, which in turn leveraged over $72 million in public dollars in just those years and $30.7 million going forward in permanent, annual funding to make NYC the first in the nation to provide support to young people who have experienced foster care up to age 26.
Fair Futures would not be where it is today without Natasha's vision, thought partnership, advocacy, strategic advice, expertise, moral support, collaborative leadership, and unwavering commitment and dedication to young people.
Pilar is a Program Director for the Graham SLAM program at Graham Windham. During her time at Graham, Pilar helped develop and scale the largest coaching program in NYC, serving over 400 young people, from which the Fair Futures model was developed. Pilar has been an instrumental leader in the launch, growth, and success of Fair Futures; she helped to improve and codify the model and played an important role during the advocacy campaign.
Over the last five years, Pilar has been a leader in the Fair Futures community, from speaking on the news and at public events; to being on panels in trainings and workshops; to representing Graham's best practices on the Implementation Committee over the last two years.
Fair Futures would not be where it is today without Pilar's leadership, long-term partnership, advocacy, and unwavering commitment and dedication to young people.
Monique Cody (aka "Coach Cody") is the longest-standing Fair Futures Coach and a true champion for young people in HeartShare St. Vincent’s Services supportive housing programs. She was among the very first to be trained and deeply embodies the Fair Futures culture and approach in all of her interactions.
Coach Cody infuses a warm, positive, uplifting energy into every room she is in, which is one of the many reasons she is so beloved by the young people she supports.
Coach Cody not only invests in her young people - she invests in her professional development. She regularly attends systemwide trainings, workshops, and learning communities, and has been a leader and speaker on many panels over the last five years. Coach Cody most recently passed all the assessments and became "Fair Futures Certified"!
For all these reasons and more, Coach Cody is a Hero.
Erika Palmer is a Supervising Attorney at Advocates For Children and long-term partner of Fair Futures. For years before Fair Futures existed, Erika provided critical educational trainings, technical assistance, and advocacy support to staff at foster care agencies. When Fair Futures was first forming, Erika lead the development of the grades 6-12 educational materials, manual, and trainings, which she helps update, improve, and refine each year so all staff can best support their students.
Over the last five years, Erika has trained all 500+ Fair Futures staff and advised them with some of the most complex educational cases. Every day, she goes above and beyond to advocate for students and support the staff who serve them. Erika's deep expertise on the middle and high school selection process and the training and support she provides to all Fair Futures Middle School Specialists reversed a trend of students in care entering high schools with average graduation rates significantly below the City average. For the first time in history, and for the last 3 years in a row, students in care are entering high schools with average graduation rates Above the City!
Fair Futures would not be where it is today without Erika's leadership, thought partnership, advocacy, strategic advice, educational expertise, and unwavering commitment and dedication to young people. She is a pillar of the Fair Futures community.
Natasha Lifton is one of the founding leaders and champions of Fair Futures. Natasha helped conceive the advocacy strategy behind the Fair Futures movement and coordinated with ACS and the Foster Care Excellence Fund (now the Youth & Families Forward Fund) to launch a public-private partnership that funded the youth-led advocacy campaign and infrastructure needed to develop, codify, and scale the Fair Futures model systemwide.
As an active member of the Fair Futures Steering Committee, Advocacy Committee, and Advisory Board, Natasha has been involved in every aspect of Fair Futures since its inception, from coalition-building, advocacy, and communications strategies to advising on organizational change.
Natasha's leadership helped secure $5 million in philanthropic investments, which in turn leveraged over $72 million in public dollars in just those years and $30.7 million going forward in permanent, annual funding to make NYC the first in the nation to provide support to young people who have experienced foster care up to age 26.
Fair Futures would not be where it is today without Natasha's vision, thought partnership, advocacy, strategic advice, expertise, moral support, collaborative leadership, and unwavering commitment and dedication to young people.
Honorees
Fair Futures Heroes
We're proud to acknowledge and celebrate our Fair Futures Heroes!
Fair Futures is a true collaboration and community that is made possible thanks to the passion, hard work, and commitment of the many individuals who contributed to its growth and success.
