Orphan Foundation of America Partners with Employee Volunteers for Valentine's Day

The Freddie Mac Foundation's long-time partner the Orphan Foundation of America (OFA) joined employee volunteers of Freddie Mac for a Valentine's Day Care Package event benefiting foster youth in college. Employees volunteered to work in three shifts to assemble 2,500 care packages and ship them out to OFA college students across the country. OFA, which helps foster youth who have "aged out" of the system, works throughout the year to reach out and support college students who are former foster children.

The packages contained items such as games, scarves, handmade Valentine cards, chocolates, cookies, calendars, CreditSmart® tip cards, and handwritten notes from the Freddie Mac volunteers. Students receiving OFA care packages in the past have mentioned that the packages help to ease the loneliness and anxiety of being away at college, and encourage them to succeed in school.

During each shift, volunteers took a two-minute break to watch a video from students thanking the volunteers and letting them know how much the packages meant to them. "Many in the general public associate the word 'orphan' with young children," said Doug Sprei, Marketing and Communications director for OFA. "Therefore, one of our tasks is to expand public awareness of the older population OFA serves with scholarship, mentoring, and care package programs. The video we showed at this event was intended to give Freddie Mac volunteers a sense of connection to the real foster youth receiving these care packages."

The enthusiasm our volunteers brought into the room was contagious," said Ralph Boyd, EVP of Community Relations. "Former foster youth face tremendous obstacles. Our employees' efforts sent an important message to these young people: you're not forgotten."