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TACOMA, Wash., Aug. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Born This Way Foundation is excited to announce that Treehouse will be featured at Lady Gaga's Joanne World Tour in Tacoma this Saturday, August 5. The organization will be featured as part of Born This Way Foundation's series of Kindness Pop Ups at select tour stops, designed to spread kindness and highlight exceptional local nonprofit organizations across the country. Nonprofits are chosen based on their demonstrated excellence in supporting and empowering young people.

Treehouse will be featured prominently at the Kindness Pop Up, including a location for their staff or volunteers to interact with the thousands of fans in attendance, increasing awareness of the services and programs the group offers.

"We are so excited to be a featured nonprofit at Born This Way Foundation's Kindness Pop Up at Lady Gaga's Joanne World Tour! What an incredible opportunity for us to spread our message about giving youth in foster care a childhood and a future as we work to substantially increase their high school graduation rates," said Janis Avery, CEO at Treehouse. "Without a high school diploma and a plan for their future, youth in foster care experience disproportionately high rates of poverty, homelessness, incarceration, early parenting and substance abuse."

Treehouse announced this week it has exceeded a five-year goal for youth in foster care who participate in its Graduation Success program to graduate at the same rate as their peers in King County, Tacoma and Spokane. When the program launched, graduation rates were below 40 percent. Now, the program's extended graduation rate, which includes fifth-year seniors, is 89 percent—7 percent more than the state's general population.

Based in middle schools and high schools, Graduation Success introduces true education focus into the youth's lives, often for the first time. Part coach, part parent and frequently part best friend, Treehouse's Education Specialists meet with their students weekly—every week, year in and year out without fail, even during the summer. The students take charge of their own futures by setting goals, making plans and advocating for themselves.

Nationally, only 50 percent of youth in foster care graduate from high school by age 18 vs. 83 percent for all students. In Washington the numbers are even lower with 43 percent of youth in foster care graduating with their original class and 49 percent in five years—40 percent less than Treehouse's extended rate.

Treehouse's programs also include Little Wishes, which funds extracurricular activities, piano lessons, prom tickets and other experiences essential to youth's social-emotional development, and Holiday Magic, which pays for 5,000 meaningful holiday gifts across the state each year. Right now, Treehouse is arranging back-to-school donation drives throughout the community for The Wearhouse, its free store for youth in foster care. Email drives@treehouseforkids.org to arrange a drive.

"Born This Way Foundation is thrilled to shine a light on the work these exceptional local organizations do for the young people they support. We share a mission to inspire and empower today's youth and the resources and services these groups are providing in their communities are critical to that goal," said Cynthia Germanotta, Co-Founder and President of Born This Way Foundation.

This initiative reflects Born This Way Foundation's commitment to working with local and national allies to reach hundreds of thousands of young people directly. These relationships have enabled the organization to connect youth around the country with services and programming in their communities.

ABOUT TREEHOUSE
Founded in 1988, Treehouse is Washington's leading nonprofit organization addressing the academic and other essential support needs of kids in foster care. Treehouse helps 7,000 youth in foster care through programs that help them succeed in school, fulfill key material needs and provide important childhood experiences every child deserves. Learn more at www.treehouseforkids.org.

ABOUT BORN THIS WAY FOUNDATION:
Led by Lady Gaga and her mother Cynthia Germanotta, Born This Way Foundation was founded in 2012 to support the wellness of young people and empower them to create a kinder and braver world. To achieve these goals, Born This Way Foundation leverages rigorous academic research and authentic partnerships in order to provide young people with improved mental health resources, more positive school climates, and kinder communities – online and offline. Born This Way Foundation has connected over 150,000 young people with services and programing in their communities and has partnered with leading researchers to collect data from tens of thousands of young people to improve understanding of the factors that influence youth engagement, mental health, and emotional wellbeing.
BornThisWay.Foundation

SOURCE Treehouse