Capital One Launches ‘Fostering A Future,’ A National Scholarship Program to Benefit Foster Care Children
December 4, 2004; McLEAN, VA - Capital One is partnering with Bruce Willis' National Foster Care Fund (NFCF), the Children's Action Network (CAN) and the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption (DTFA) to create a national scholarship program, Fostering a Future, to benefit youth and children in foster care. Capital One will launch the scholarship program and award the recipient during the taping of CBS' special holiday program "A Home for the Holidays," which will air on December 22 and is produced in association with CAN and DTFA.
Bruce Willis, Hollywood actor and champion for foster care is the founder of the National Foster Care Fund. "Children in foster care must rely on the kindness and compassion of those in our community and I welcome the commitment that Capital One has shown in joining our efforts to support these children and give them greater opportunities," said Mr. Willis. "Together, we need to increase the resources given to foster care children and youth as it is vital to their well-being, and through this commitment we can make strides in improving the opportunities and support for these children and their families."
In the United States today, more than half a million children are living in foster care. Capital One's Fostering a Future scholarship program is designed to help youth and children in foster care reach their potential by empowering them with educational skills and tools they need. The mission of the scholarship is to help eligible children and adolescents currently living in, and adopted from, foster care develop concrete plans for his or her path towards career, education and personal goals based on their own aspirations.
"Capital One is proud to establish the Fostering a Future scholarship program to help foster care children reach their full potential," said Richard D. Fairbank, Capital One's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "This scholarship program represents an investment in our children's future."
The First Scholarship Recipient
The first Fostering a Future scholarship is awarded to Bobby Walker at today's live taping of
CBS' A Home for the Holidays. Bobby is now living with an adoptive family and is a senior in
high school and on the Varsity football team.
For more information about the scholarship program, please visit www.fosteringafuture.com.
This 2005 scholarship program complements the outreach that Capital One has initiated over the past six months. Last spring, Capital One joined forces with four of the nation's leading foster care organizations -- National Foster Care Coalition, Casey Family Programs, Child Welfare League of America and National Foster Parent Association -- to identify what will motivate the public to support children and youth in foster care.
About Capital One
Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One Financial Corporation
(www.capitalone.com), a Fortune 500 company, is one of the largest providers of
MasterCard and Visa credit cards in the world. Capital One trades on the New York Stock
Exchange under the symbol "COF" and is included in the S&P 500 index. Capital One is
dedicated to sharing their success with the communities they operate. They have built long-term
collaborative alliances with agencies that are dedicated to revitalizing communities and helping
youth at-risk. Capital One offers leadership grants to non-profit organizations, volunteer
community outreach programs, donations to underprivileged children, and other corporate
charitable giving.
About the National Foster Care Fund
The National Foster Care Fund (NFCF) was founded in 2004 by Bruce Willis and provides
strategic outlets for celebrities, community-based organizations, private and public corporations,
traditional foundations, and government agencies to pool resources to enhance and improve the
lives of foster youth throughout the nation. Targeting marked improvements in the environments
of children affected by foster care, the National Foster Care Fund focuses on four primary areas:
Public Awareness; Education; Health/Mental Health; Family Preservation.
About the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
Created by Dave Thomas (founder of Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers and an adopted
child) in 1992, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is dedicated to increasing the
awareness of the more than 150,000 children in North America's foster care systems who have
been freed for adoption and are waiting for safe, nurturing and permanent homes. The
Foundation, a non-profit public charity, also provides critical grants-based resources to local,
regional and national programs that, through results-driven and accountable activities, move
children from foster care to permanent families and homes. In 2003, more than 4,000 foster care
adoptions in the United States were directly attributable to the funding and awareness activities
of the Foundation.
Editor's Note: A Home for the Holidays is scheduled to air on CBS on Wednesday, December 22nd at 8:00PM ET.