news-engine

United States First Lady Melania Trump made a public appearance right outside of the White House on the heels of this weekend’s IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix. The First Lady fielded questions from the media on the White House lawn, where she revealed that she’d be donating $2 million to fund scholarships to two Big Ten schools via her Fostering the Future initiative. “Today, Indiana University and Purdue University join fostering the future’s growing coast-to-coast alliance of leading academic institutions,” Trump said. “Congratulations and thank you.” Indiana and Purdue are set to become the 25th and 26th schools to agree to work with Trump and her Fostering the Future initiative. What is Fostering the Future? Trump helped implement Fostering the Future with the aim of assisting young people in foster care by providing them scholarships, job training and long-term financial support. “My Administration is dedicated to empowering mothers and fathers to raise their children in safe and loving homes. When crises prevent such an arrangement, our Nation’s foster care system must be ready to serve children in need. Today’s foster care system must be improved in a number of important ways,” U.S. President Donald Trump said. “Children often stay in foster care for years, and those who transition out due to age frequently face uncertain futures without the support systems essential to educational, career, and relational success. Many caseworkers are overburdened. Information systems are often outdated. Some jurisdictions and organizations maintain policies that discourage or prohibit qualified families from serving children in need as foster and adoptive parents because of their sincerely-held religious beliefs or adherence to basic biological truths. “Our Nation’s children and youth — and the families who care for them — deserve better. To that end, my Administration, with special leadership from the First Lady, will harness Federal support, technology, and strategic partnerships to provide young Americans in or transitioning out of the foster care system with the tools they need to become successful adults.” It’ll be interesting to see if more schools join the cause.