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Just in Time "extended family" helps three brothers create a Home for the Holidays after foster care

SAN DIEGO (November 1) - After mobilizing a team of volunteers to contribute thousands of dollars in in-kind donations that turned a foreclosed house into a home for the holidays, Just in Time for Foster Youth begins a campaign from November 1 thru December 4, 2010 to help over a hundred more transitioning foster youth have a safe, stable first home.

Former foster youth, Juan, Mario and Jose Robles, used every penny they had to purchase a home together, fulfilling a dream to reunite after growing up in separate households in foster care. They purchased a "fixer-upper" home to reunite their family and planned to make repairs slowly, as they could afford it. Instead, Just in Time for Foster Youth rallied volunteers and local businesses behind the young men to turn their home into a showcase just in time for the holidays, garnering local coverage and national attention from CBS Evening News with a planned pre-Thanksgiving "Assignment America" story by Steve Hartman. The list of contributing businesses can be found at www.JitFosterYouth.org.

"Operation 3 Brothers" was launched by the local 501 (c) (3) charity as part of their mission to provide support at critical junctures for youth transitioning out of the foster care system, acting as an "extended family" of caring adults.

"We want to celebrate the Robles brothers' incredible determination and success while also turning the community's focus on the plight of the hundreds of young people who are also trying to create a home without any family support," explained Don Wells, Executive Director for Just in Time for Foster Youth.

The "Just in Time for Foster Youth My First Home for the Holidays Drive" runs from November 1-December 4 with volunteer-created mini-drives supplying the needed cash and in-kind donations. Items collected will be everything from gift cards, pots, pans and small kitchen appliances to desk lamps, mops, brooms and bedding. A list of items can be found at www.JitFosterYouth.org.

"We are incredibly grateful for the community's generous response to the Robles brothers and hope it extends to help other youth in need," said Diane Cox, Board President of Just in Time. "The assistance this drive will generate helps create a stable foundation for success all year long, something that most of us relied on our family to help us create over a period of years, not months."

The drive ends with a major collection on Saturday, December 4 at a yet to be determined local retailer, followed a week later by a My First Home Celebration on December 11 that will reunite youth, volunteers and donors.

For more information, contact Don Wells at 858-663-2081 or dwells@jitFosterYouth.org.