Donna Biase and Debbie Ellman
Photo By Gina Fontana
In 2006, two PTA presidents organized a one-day makeover of a local shelter for abused, abandoned and neglected youth. That initiative grew into their involvement as board members — and a mission to further education. As a result, Donna Biase and Debbie Ellman discovered that foster care youth, and those who have aged out of the foster care system, don’t have the same educational opportunities that kids with families — and the support they provide — do.
They founded Best Foot Forward (BFF) to address that issue. Incorporated in January 2010, the Boca Raton 501(c)(3) nonprofit developed an unprecedented program devoted to the education of foster care youth, first for high school students, then for ninth graders to help provide a stronger academic foundation.
After discovering that most students lacked the basic academic skills to succeed, Biase and Ellman, both 58, decided to lower the entrance level to middle school and then created a reading-focused program called Foundations specifically tailored to kids in third grade, a critical year in reading development. The immediate success of Foundations soon expanded to include all elementary school grade levels.
“We help students learn how to navigate classes and participate in school activities the way their classmates do,” Ellman says. “We determine where their strengths are and strengthen them, and also focus on where they may need extra help.”
The organization now works with students from kindergarten through college, pairing program participants with Academic or Graduation Coaches. One-on-one support helps coaches provide the resources students need to graduate from high school with a plan for their future — and to become successful members of society.
“You don’t have to be the best student academically, but you must want to learn,” Biase explains. “With the overwhelming success we’ve had with foster youth students graduating from high school, we’ve expanded our population to include at-risk students.” Now, more than 300 students are receiving help from BFF.
Funding comes from individual donations, grants and fundraising events like the organization’s annual Sole Mates Luncheon (last held in November 2023) and BFF Bash (Bash 2024 is scheduled for April 20 at Boca West Country Club), Ellman adds.
These days, Ellman and Biase head up a devoted group of 30 BFF staff and about 50 to 75 active volunteers, with a mission that remains the same — that every child deserves a fighting chance at educational success.
For more information about Best Foot Forward, call 561-470-8300 or visit bestfoot.org.