The DAY fund
The Disadvantaged Youth Fund
Across Orange County, more than 27,000 students are homeless and over 3,000 are in foster care. In the Orange Unified School District alone, at least 620 students experience homelessness and 140 are in foster care each year. These children face instability, frequent school changes, and the loss of months of learning—yet they continue to persevere.
The Community Foundation of Orange has launched the DisAdvantaged Youth Fund to provide critical support through programs like Warm Hands, Warm Hearts, which offers jackets and shoes to students in need, and Adopt a Senior, ensuring foster and homeless youth can participate in milestones like prom and graduation. Every gift—large or small—helps restore dignity, belonging, and opportunity. Together, we can show these children that Orange is a community that cares.
General Donations
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Orange Field of Valor
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Kids Play
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The Day Fund
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Adopt a Senior
The Adopt-A Senior program ensures that McKinney-Vento (Homeless, motel and foster) youth can participate in key life events ensuring their senior year, with the goal to help them feel a sense of normalcy and belonging that many may not have thought possible. These experiences will stay with students, not just as memories of high school, but as powerful symbols of community support and resilience in the face of adversity. The Adopt-A Senior program provides:
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1 Prom Ticket
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Yearbook
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Grad Night
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Senior Breakfast
Read below for powerful stories about the impact of this program.
Story #1
In his senior year, a student lost what little he had left when a fire destroyed his family’s home—along with his last keepsakes, photos, and even the phone that held his memories. With his parents working multiple jobs just to survive, he never asked for the $185 yearbook—the only place those moments still existed. Through the generosity of our community, the Adopt-A-Senior program placed that yearbook in his hands. He held it to his chest and cried—finally able to reclaim the memories he thought were gone forever.
Story #2
Nine years ago, a student living in a motel with her mother and two younger sisters dreamed of one thing her senior year—to go to prom and “be a princess for the night.” While balancing school and two part-time jobs to help support her family, she had skipped every other dance, but this one mattered. When she learned a $90 ticket wasn’t covered and out of reach, she quietly accepted the news—then broke down in tears. Determined not to let that moment define her story, the OUSD Adopt-A-Senior coordinator stepped in. That night, the student went to prom. And afterward, she shared photos full of joy, saying it was a night she would never forget.
Warm Hands,
Warm Hearts
Warm Hands, Warm Hearts is more than a seasonal drive—it’s a reminder to McKinney-Vento youth that they are seen, valued, and cared for. For foster and homeless students, something as simple as a new pair of shoes, warm socks, or a thoughtfully chosen gift can restore dignity, build confidence, and bring a sense of belonging during a time of year that can otherwise feel isolating. Last year, with the leadership of Orange Unified School District and the generosity of Community Foundation of Orange and our community, over 800 youth experienced that joy. Your participation helps ensure that even our most vulnerable students feel warmth, hope, and the simple but powerful message: you matter.