TAMPA, Fla. — WellCare Health Plans Inc. recently donated $20,000 to the Orange Duffel Bag Initiative, a Georgia nonprofit organization that provides advocacy and professional coaching to teens and young adults who are most at-risk of not successfully completing their education as well as students who are homeless or in foster care group homes.
The donation will go toward ODBI’s after-school coaching program to empower youth and young adults — specifically those who are homeless and those who are about to age-out of the foster care system and are at-risk for becoming homeless — to set and achieve goals for healthier, more productive lives.
“Many students are surprised to discover what’s inside them,” said Diana Black, vice president of the Orange Duffle Bag Initiative. “They have had no prior experience getting to know themselves or hearing their own voice; nor have they had an opportunity to look at their choices, their future and create a plan for their success.”
As part of the partnership, WellCare employees also will volunteer with ODBI and the company will provide educational materials about healthy living.
“WellCare supports organizations such as ODBI in order to enhance our communities and provide people with access to the resources they need to take charge of their health and well-being,” said Roman Kulich, the president of WellCare’s Georgia and South Carolina region. “We are committed to investing in solutions that improve lives and communities, which can ultimately reduce the long-term costs of health care.”
According to ODBI’s research, there are approximately 35,000 certified homeless students in Georgia’s K-12 public schools, with approximately 7,000 of those homeless students living in the Greater Atlanta area.
Of those who are still in foster care, more than 80 percent are expected to age-out of the system without completing their high school education or passing the General Educational Development test.
Research suggests that a student who drops out of high school is eight times more likely to be incarcerated and 40 times more likely to be on public assistance than those who complete their education.
ODBI’s coaching programs are 12-week courses designed to help participants set attainable goals, create education and life plans, continue their education and pursue a career path.
The evidence-informed curriculum delivered by executive-level coaches builds upon self-reliance, self-advocacy, education planning and career exploration, improved critical thinking, safe and sustainable relationships, community involvement and peer-to-peer mentoring.
Those who successfully complete the program earn an orange duffel bag and a laptop computer to help bridge the digital divide prevalent among disadvantaged students.
 “On behalf of the young people we serve, Orange Duffel Bag Initiative is thrilled and honored to receive this generous support from WellCare and its employees,” said Michael Daly, president of the Orange Duffle Bag Initiative. “Together we continue to improve the lives and the communities we serve — collaborating for collective impact.”
Almost 400 of Georgia’s most vulnerable students have graduated from the coaching program, and evidence shows that the program improves critical thinking and helps the students achieve educational success.
To learn more about ODBI, go to www.theodbi.org.