Tanisha Cunningham of The Underground Railroad To Success has been awarded a $500 Micro-Grant from Investing In Women.

The URS is a non-profit that provides a service to foster children aging out of the system to live independently as adults while becoming an integral part of society. This is great for foster children and also has a positive affect on our society as a whole..

What inspired you to start The Underground Railroad To Success?

As a former foster child myself, I saw and experienced firsthand the devastating and frightening outcome of youth emancipated from foster care who was not prepared to live a life on their own. As a result, I vowed that one day I would dedicate my life to helping children in foster care. I had a vision to become the next Harriet Tubman by leading as many children in foster care through the tunnel of independence so that their transition to self-sufficiency would be a successful one.

What is your business background?

I have a bachelors in Human Service, a graduate degree in Public Administration with over 15 years working in government including working for the Administration for Children’s Services in NYC. I also was an associate director for a non-profit organization where I was instrumental for assisting them to establish a program that would combat the economic effects of fatherlessness in our communities.

Why is your business so important for the community?

If the next generation is responsible for shaping our future, then we need to make sure that they are trained to do. Children in foster care are no exception to this rule. An estimated 20,000 adolescents age out of the foster care system each year. According to the Child Welfare League of America, 25 percent become homeless, 56 percent are unemployed, 27 percent of male children end up in jail. If we do not services these children and train them in the way they should go the effect on our community can be detrimental.

What differentiates your business from government or state services?

Most Independent Living programs offers services for foster children as they are aging out of the system or have already been discharged from care. URS strongly believes that foster children need to be equipped with the necessary life skills “before” they age out, so that the transition will be less frightening and the likelihood of them achieving their goals will be greatly enhanced. As a result, URS will offer two programs in one: The Bright Futures Program for ages 15-17 and the New Beginnings program for ages 18-24 with a concentration being on education. The students from the Bright Futures Program will automatically be promoted/enrolled in the New Beginnings Program upon obtaining their high school diploma. URS primary focus will be on education, for we know most poverty situations are eliminated from those who are educated.

How will the funds be used?

The funds will be used toward marketing. In my quest to bring awareness of the need to support children aging out of care, I find that there are a lot of people who have no clue that there is such a need. Therefore, URS need to increase awareness by promoting our organization and it's mission.

Learn More at www.railroad2success.com

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