First Star was founded in 1999 by Peter Samuelson and Sherry Quirk, as a national 501 (c) (3) public charity dedicated to improving life for child victims of abuse and neglect.

First Star seeks to build life and psycho-social skills, foster healthy relationships with adult caregivers and mentors, and provide educational advocacy, in addition to offering a rigorous …

First Star was founded in 1999 by media executive Peter Samuelson and lawyer Sherry Quirk as a national 501 (c) (3) public charity dedicated to improving life for child victims of abuse and …

News about the First Star Charity and its college readiness programs for foster youth.

Join us for an inspiring evening filled with storytelling, recognition, and purpose, as we celebrate First Star’s 25th anniversary. Since 2000, we have been dedicated to transforming lives …

First Star was founded in 1999 by Peter Samuelson and Sherry Quirk, as a national 501 (c) (3) public charity dedicated to improving life for child victims of abuse and neglect.

The goal of our First Star Academy program is to leverage the academic knowledge, life skills and community at major universities to address the statistic that only 3% of foster youth earn a …

The First Star Kent State Academy partners with child welfare agencies and other community partners to provide an immersive, specialized academic, college preparatory, mentorship, and …

The September 2025 Issue highlights our 2025 First Star National Fact Sheet. The newsletter announces Kayla Murillo – who has gone above and beyond in supporting youth in care – as …

A former foster youth, Alexander brings lived experience to his role on First Star’s Board of Directors. He is featured in the PBS documentary Possible Selves and has been an active …