Resident praises Spark program for connecting foster youth with summer county jobs

A resident told the meeting that the Spark program gives 11th- and 12th-grade students in foster care paid summer work and a pathway toward stable employment. “The whole idea behind it is that it's the give employment experience for our 11th and 12th grade students that are in foster care during the summertime,” the resident said.

The speaker said he first met the program’s cofounder, identified only as Jesse in the remarks, on Nov. 5, 2024, and credited Jesse’s passion and willingness to listen with helping the program succeed. The resident said the program was created in part to address youth homelessness, adding that “one out of three are going to be homeless,” a statistic he cited during his testimony.

He described a recent program success in Fontana: a former participant who was in foster care obtained full-time employment with the county and “a sustainable path.” “Had we not had Jesse or the Spark program, his life would have been a lot different,” the resident said.

The speaker framed the effort as a local investment in careers, saying he wants young people to see themselves as “their doctors, they are their lawyers, they are their contractors, they are their plumbers,” and urged the community to create opportunities so youth can build lives where they live.

The meeting record does not include independent verification of the "one out of three" statistic cited by the resident. The remarks focused on the program’s goals, a cited success story involving county employment, and an appeal to invest in foster youth career pathways.