You can’t run with scissors in the happiest 5 kilometer race on earth, but you can run with chalk in neon colors. Toddlers, teenagers and grown-ups in tiaras and tutus played in Sacramento's downtown streets on Saturday's Color Run braving pink, yellow, orange, purple, and green colored fairy dusts to paint Picassos on their white t-shirts. “We dedicate this run to all the cool kids who inspire us to color our lives with creativity,” said Crystal Brooks, 32, a pastry chef from Midtown Sacramento waiving her hands in the air in excitement. She swivels her hips and skips with three of her girlfriends in glee.  All four sports a matching white shirt cut in symmetry, knee high plaid pattern

Editor's note: The Fremont School for Adults closed on June 18. The author of this story, Amabelle Ocampo, is working on a follow-up article. Foster youth students who may have fallen through the cracks in the Sacramento City Unified School District always had one last hope at the end of the education continuum: The Fremont School for Adults. Fremont’s fully accredited High School Completion program provides the opportunity to earn credits necessary for high school graduation, and includes two classes specifically for youths who age out of the foster care system. Barring a financial miracle, the school will close permanently on June 18. The FSA closure will displace 2,000 students in t

Thursday, May 24 marked a day when youth voice was alive at the capitol.   It was the "Annual Shadow a Legislator Day" for foster youth leadership advocacy group, California Youth Connection.  Among the excitement of hundreds of elementary school children on a civics field trip of the state capitol, an important announcement was being made by Assemblymember Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) and Daniel Heimpel, a child welfare journalist and CYC Board Member.   They urged support for two bills, AB 2093 and AB 1712, which will affect the future of foster youth across the state.  In honor of  Foster Care Awareness Month, Skinner's legislation, Assembly Bill 2093 "Foster Youth Higher Education a

When Lily Colby turned 18, she had nowhere else to go. Her foster parents gave her fair warning that she will be on her own. If she did not find a way to survive, she would be homeless. The same fate would have faced her brother, David Colby at 18, but his saving grace was new state legislation AB12, California’s Fostering connections to Success Act, a promise to extend support services to foster youth until the age of 19 in 2012, then to age 20 in 2013. But, a last minute amendment to the original proposal changed the logistics. In an effort to save money when AB12 was passed, legislators phased in the extension of care. With realignment shifting the power from state to counties, 2,16

Old Sacramento welcomed more than 20,000 visitors bustling to the sound of ukuleles, taiko drums, and the aloha of the islands during the Pacific Rim Festival.   The streets came alive with vivrant colors and the lure of barbeque, teriyake chicken, pulled pork, and the sweetness of hawaiian shave ice on Sunday, May 20.  There were many cultures in attendance sharing the arts, food, and roots of an Asian heritage.      This is the 20th iteration of an annual event that has steadily gained popularity among families who live in the region.  The Census Bureau shares that Sacramento County houses the country's 12th largest Asian American population.