The work is underway
Building Paths Forward
Connecting education, skilled trades, art, employment, and family support.
Programs in motion
Potential cannot always be measured by a transcript.
Our programs are being built for those who need a practical path forward and their families who are building alongside them.
The Follow Through Promise
A commitment connecting high school completion, employment, financial responsibility, mentorship, and skilled trades.
As participants reach established milestones, the Foundation plans to help provide tools, training, equipment, or career support for the future they choose.
Free Welding Classes
Hands on welding, plasma cutting, fabrication, safety, and career exploration for students in alternative schools and juvenile detention settings.
No previous experience is required. The first goal is simple: give a person the chance to discover what they can build.
This offer also extends to the families of young people in juvenile detention centers. Parents, guardians, and family members who are interested in welding are welcome to join the free welding classes too.
Art With a Purpose
Creative programs where metalwork, sculpture, glass, wood, and community art become tools for building confidence, encouraging expression, developing patience, and learning hands on Career and Technical Education skills through art.
Students and families will have opportunities to create together and build something they can be proud to carry forward.
When a student builds new skills, the entire family should have the opportunity to build with them.
Built for families too
Support should not stop with the student.
Our work is being developed to include parents, guardians, and family members through shared classes, career education, mentorship, and connection to community resources.
Young people are more likely to follow through when the people around them are given the tools to follow through too.
The vision we are building
The Rae Ripple Career Center for the Arts
Classes will be free.
The Center will be a place where young people and their families can learn a trade, explore art, prepare for certification or trade school, connect with employers, and turn a skill into a living.
Where someone starts does not decide where they finish. Sometimes, they simply need a place to begin.