Juanita & Harold Ailey Foundation

Over 20,000 young adults age out of foster care every year. Of this less then 3% graduate college and only 53% graduate high school. It is the hope of this foundation to provide necessary support to these young adults to help increase these statistics for longer term success.

Mission Statement

To foster a sense of hope in the hearts of America’s young adults aging out of foster care by providing resources toward educational opportunities and connecting them with necessary support systems for emotional, spiritual and physical health.

Values

At the Ailey Foundation, we value Caring, Generosity and Stewardship.

Caring: In a world where the least can be forgotten, we believe all children deserve family, safety and opportunities. It is by Caring that we can bridge those gaps for America’s Foster Children.

Generosity: Our team believes giving back with our time, our money and our talents is a must to inspiring change. To those who have been given much, much is required.

Stewardship: If we don’t make the best use of the resources we have, we can’t make the biggest impact; therefore, we put 100% of the dollars we receive directly into the hands of the young adults we serve.

Our Roots

Our President, Tammy Person, spent 8 years in foster care from age 5 to 13. At 13 years old, she and her sister were adopted by Juanita and Harold Ailey, who also fostered over 8 other children. Their dedication and commitment not only made THE DIFFERENCE in Tammy’s life but it also fueled her drive and ultimately success. Juanita and Harold’s love of Jesus, dedication to hard work, caring spirit and love gave her the foundation she needed to overcome the challenges she faced as a young child.

Tammy graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1999. She served as a CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocate) from 2009 to 2012. Tammy and her husband Jeremy have also fostered 3 children, 2 of which they adopted. Passionately making a difference is Tammy’s heart.