How long has CIAO been around? The CIAO Program enrolled its first participant in May of 2005.

How many participants has CIAO served? From our inception to present day, CIAO has has assisted approximately 500 foster youth and has provided non-monetary support and referral services to an untold number of at-risk young adults who were found ineligible for the CIAO Program.

What can CIAO do for me? CIAO will not do anything for you. However, we will gladly work with you to help you accomplish your employment, education or training-related goals and to provide advice, support and a family-style atmosphere to maximize your chance of finding success and stability after foster care.

Will I have fun in the CIAO Program? Not everything about CIAO is work. We realize the importance of blowing off steam once in a while and taking much-deserved breaks from the stress of accomplishing your personal goals. As such, we do our best to host fun activities for our participants every so often. Past activities have included Holiday Parties, Movie Night, Game Night, a trip to an enormous haunted house and lot's of food. (We really like to get our eat on!) Upcoming plans include sporting and recreational events as well as possible acting/drama opportunities.

Does CIAO providing housing support? The CIAO Program is set up to assist with three main areas: Employment, Training and Education. However, we do realize that without adequate housing, none of the above is possible. CIAO is not set up to provide financial support for housing costs although we can assist with non-monetary support such as information and referrals to appropriate partnering programs. Once housing is obtained (even if it is something temporary like a shelter) we can also assist with employment so participants are able to afford their own place.

Does CIAO assist in purchasing vehicles? No. CIAO can sometimes assist with vehicle repairs providing the participant needs the transportation to meet employment or educational goals but we do not have the financial means to assist monetarily with the purchasing of vehicles. However, we can assist participants with accessing funding which may be available from other programs to be used towards the purchase of a vehicle. We can also provide advice and guidance for participants looking to purchase their own transportation.

What if someone is already in a college or vocational program or has employment. Should they still look in to joining CIAO? Absolutely. The CIAO Program is set up to provide much-needed support to its participants who may already be working or accomplishing educational goals. This support can come in the form of advice, tutoring, training, work uniforms or supplies, transportation assistance and much more.