Rise Above Foundation

Rise Above Foundation provides enriching activities, opportunities, and experiences to the nearly 10,000 youth in Massachusetts foster care. Founded in 2009, Rise Above was established to respond to the growing need to give youth in foster care opportunities that will give them a sense of normalcy, provide comfort, and build self-esteem.

Many kids in foster care miss out on activities, like music lessons and sports teams, that can help them overcome incredibly difficult circumstances and improve their emotional and physical wellbeing. Rise Above strives to empower youth in the foster care system to “rise above” their situation and challenges and to pursue a passion, talent, or interest.

Rise Above funds individual activities wishes for foster children through an application process that can be completed by a child’s social worker, the child or young adult himself or herself, the child’s foster parent, or any other supportive adult to the child, such as a teacher, mentor or therapist. Granted requests have ranged from karate lessons to a teenage girl’s first hair salon appointment to attending a monster truck rally.