It Takes an (Online) Village

Jay MacIntosh ’86 built The Village—an online program that connects foster youth with volunteers—to help those leaving the child welfare system better transition into adulthood.

Longtime foster child advocate and former Apple engineer Jay MacIntosh ’86 saw firsthand how kids aging out of the child welfare system weren’t getting the support they need. So he decided to rally adults, corporations, and government agencies to help fill those needs through mentorships and other support for former foster kids by launching The Village. The online nonprofit uses an algorithm to pair foster youth with local volunteers based on interests and experiences. Uniquely, The Village has no time requirement, so volunteers can feel more able to help kids make the the transition to adulthood whenever they can. Currently, the program is seeking to sign up 1,000 people in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.

foster youth symbol
Image courtesy Shutterstock.
The OG Green

SCU Men’s golf fans set foot on the holy land of golf this summer capping off a trip of a lifetime.

Music Above All

Erin Pearson ’05 was recruited to play soccer for Santa Clara University. But her passion for music was pulling her in a different direction.

A Number’s Worth

Chuck Cantoni ’57 may be the oldest person to swim from Alcatraz to San Francisco—all to raise money for research into a potentially deadly brain condition.

Collaboration is Key

Jacqueline Whitham ’21 chose to support cross-disciplinary collaboration and research at SCU through $3.8 million from her family’s foundation.