Promises2Kids is having a transformative 2024. The flagship local nonprofit is doubling down on its commitment to San Diego’s foster youth by launching several innovative, multi-faceted programs that are the first of their kind in town.
Founded by philanthropist Joan Waitt to address the critical needs of over 3,000 foster kids annually, Promises2Kids has evolved into a full-scale support network spanning education, mentorship, and mental health services. At its heart is CEO Tonya Torosian, who operates with the philosophy of putting the needs of the children that they serve at the center of all efforts.
“Youth voice is critical in everything we do,” she says, underscoring the organization’s efforts to gather direct feedback from program participants through open-mic-style dinners with kids and organization leadership, surveys, and a program implementing foster youth as peer mentors. Promises2Kids ensures its work isn’t just about helping from the outside but creating transformative, community-based change.
In January 2024, the org took over the county’s mentorship program, which encompasses kids in foster care between the ages of 5 and 18. The subsumed program offers one-on-one support similar to a “Big Brothers Big Sisters” program, pairing children with adult mentors who provide guidance and companionship.
Unlike Promises2Kid’s already successful Guardian Scholars program, which focuses on career and educational mentorship for those 18 and older, this newer program, which is growing and continuing to take shape, aims for early intervention.
Torosian says that after transferring existing mentor matches from the county, Promises2Kids has already enrolled around 30 children, with plans to match 20 more by the end of the year—almost doubling the program in its first year. The goal is to supplement however much or little support foster children receive in their home environments by providing additional long-term relationships and network-building.
These relational supports are crucial to addressing the unique challenges facing children raised in foster care, especially concerning mental health. Torosian explains that mental health treatment is a “significant focus” for Promises2Kids. Previously, the organization worked with agencies and MediCal to access mental health practitioners, but found that because of the specialized care foster youth often require, the children in their care weren’t receiving the nuanced treatment they needed.
“We didn’t want wait lists,” Torosian says, adding that immediate, comprehensive care is crucial to addressing at-risk adolescent health needs. So this year, the organization brought its therapy program in-house and currently has one full-time doctor on staff treating youth, eliminating the need to deal with MediCal or other payment and treatment hiccups.
Presently serving people over 18, Promises2Kids has plans for the program to expand, eventually offering individual therapy and group sessions to tackle topics like social anxiety, substance abuse, and navigating safe relationships.
In the near future, the hope is to expand this program to include multi-faceted support addressing the cycle of child abuse by helping young parents who have aged out of the foster care system. Torosian explains that many Promises2Kids’ recent program graduates are now parents themselves, so the organization is developing a comprehensive family resource center to support them. She paints a picture of a resource center where young families can congregate for meals, get developmental assessments for children, receive parent education, and even access respite care so that young parents can find relief while building community as they navigate the challenges of raising their children.
In late 2024, Promises2Kids will announce a new initiative with the Lucky Duck Foundation and San Diego County’s Regional Task Force on Homelessness. The trio will launch a two-year pilot program to prevent homelessness among youth aging out of the foster system—one-third of whom will become homeless within two years, Torosian says.
Promises2Kids designed the pilot program to blend career and financial literacy support with direct monthly cash assistance—$1,000 per participant. “At the end of the day, it’s going to come down to money,” Torosian says bluntly, acknowledging the practical challenge of securing housing and keeping adult responsibilities afloat without a stable income. “You can provide all the support in the world, but if they don’t have money, none of it is going to matter,” she says.
The new program also includes a housing and career navigator to help participants find sustainable housing and employment opportunities. Torosian hopes that participants’ increased earning potential by the end of two years of training and other support will make $1,000 a month unnecessary, building long-term stability and providing a graduation from the program of sorts.
Torosian’s strategy is to be proactive in creating pathways to success. Alongside these programs, Promises2Kids is also looking to address another significant need: breaking the cycle of child abuse by supporting young parents who have aged out of the foster care system. Many Promises2Kids program participants are now parents themselves, and the organization is developing a comprehensive family resource center to support them.
Torosian describes her dream of a center where young families congregate for meals, get developmental assessments for children, receive parent education, and even have access to on-demand care so young parents can find relief and community as they navigate the challenges of raising their own children.
Near the end of our conversation, Torosian makes an important point. “We are completely philanthropy-funded,” clarifying that they don’t get government grants or stipends, as is sometimes assumed of nonprofits working with agencies tasked with managing foster youth. They rely on community support, the independence from which allows them to be agile and responsive to the ever-changing and specific needs of San Diego’s foster community in a way that government agencies can struggle to achieve.
For those looking to help, Torosian says they are always accepting volunteers, whether as mentors, event planners, or for other boards and program direction. Fundraising is also crucial to sustaining these programs—upcoming events benefiting Promises2Kids include a Holiday Gift Drive for foster youth and an annual spring whiskey-tasting fundraiser called Distilled.
“We are laser-focused on only things that work… We are much more effective when we are able to respond directly to what youth need,” Torosian says of Promises2Kids.
“We’re not just trying to provide a service,” she says, “we’re trying to give foster youth an entire community and a sense of belonging. It’s about meeting their needs, elevating their futures, and ensuring that every foster child has the support to succeed.”
Promises2Kids held its annual gala on September 9, 2024. To volunteer or donate head to promises2kids.org. On Friday, October 4, Del Mar Wine & Food Festival will host the Cowboy Coastal dinner with Experience Scottsdale at a private La Jolla home, with a portion of proceeds benefiting Promise2Kids. Get tickets here.
