BOISE, Idaho — A local nonprofit is building for a good cause -- employment after foster care.
Bruce Wingate is the founder of President of Foster Care Furniture. He says their program helps kids aging out of foster care gain a better understanding of construction.
"When they get done with the 13-week course, we will give them accreditation. If they have that basic level of employment, it helps them with employment,” Wingate said.
For many foster children, care usually ends when they turn 18 years old. Wingate said Idaho sees about 300 to 500 foster children aging out every year.
"Most kids that get to be 18, their parents will help them. If they have a problem, they can call or call a friend and ask for guidance. With foster kids, it can be a different story,” Wingate said.
The National Opinion research Center says full transition to adulthood doesn’t happen until the age of 26.
"Sometimes they are out in the streets. They are homeless, they don't have an income, job, they may not have a car. That's a serious problem,” Wingate said.
That’s why foster care furniture teamed up with the Maker Shop to provide free classes to young adults transitioning out of foster care.
Maker Shop Co-owner Alex Gangard said they are already making many connections with volunteers.
“We are really excited to welcome them in. One of our connections in our network is willing to offer some help. It's the community that is already building in here...People are really giving with their time and already building that community even further," Gangard said.
Students will earn a 15 dollars per hour while training and receive a certificate of completion after 13 weeks.
"It's kind of like job training in a sense. We are really dedicated to giving them the proper skills, safety training. We take that very seriously and in turn they have access to the facility to create their own products and build their own brands,” Gangard said.
Wingate said he’s still working on the lesson plans, but the first item students will learn is how to make chairs.
“I made the chairs because of the season because of the fact the assembly is doable. It's something we already have a lot of support on,” he said.
Aside learning basic carpentry skills, Wingate said foster children will learn life skills.
“They will learn ethics itself, showing up, following directions. They will get just by working on and building the chairs, they will get the precise of furniture making," Wingate said. "Hang on -- we are coming."
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