YOUR SUPPORT CHANGES LIVES. MINE DID.
Dear friends,
I’m writing to share my heartfelt gratitude for my Biddy Mason Charitable Foundation scholarship. I know the team is deeply concerned about fundraising for the program, and I hope my story conveys how life-changing this support is.
In 2018, I began at my dream school, the University of Southern California, after years of instability, intermittent homelessness, and putting myself through school entirely on my own. Financial aid helped, but with a nearly $90,000 tuition, I worked up to five jobs just to eat, pay rent, and stay enrolled. There were times I was so exhausted that I considered dropping out.
As graduation approached, I faced the same anxieties most seniors do—finding work, securing housing—but without a family safety net to fall back on. Then, my campus support group for former foster youth recommended the Biddy Mason Charitable Foundation.
From my first meeting with Miss Jackie and the team, I immediately felt at home. The Biddy Mason house felt calm, welcoming, and—most importantly—normal. I kept coming back to study, to talk, and to feel grounded. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I belonged.
Through relentless work and scholarships, I graduated USC with just under $10,000 in student loans for a degree that cost nearly $400,000. Then one afternoon, Miss Jackie called to tell me that an ally of the Biddy Mason Charitable Foundation wanted to pay my loan balance.I had to sit down from shock and relief. It was a gift that lifted my final financial burden and affirmed that my perseverance mattered.
The support I’ve received from BMCF is far more than financial. It reminded me that I am capable, deserving, and allowed to thrive. Organizations like this don’t just help students finish school—they help people find their place in the world.
With deepest gratitude,
Reeves Gift
To ensure Biddy Mason’s legacy lives on through scholarships, resources, and hope for the next generation, visit biddymason.com/give.
BMCF ACCEPTED INTO NETWORK TO FREEDOM'S UNDERGROUND RAILROAD MAP
We’re proud to announce that BMCF has been added to the Network to Freedom Underground Railroad map, a program of the U.S. National Park Service that recognizes sites with documented ties to the Underground Railroad and the fight for freedom.
We celebrated this historic designation at our headquarters alongside community leaders and public officials, including LA County Sheriff Robert Luna. The recognition honors the legacy of Biddy Mason, who overcame enslavement and devoted her life and resources to uplifting others in Los Angeles.
Today, her example continues to guide our work on behalf of current and former foster youth—many of whom face systemic barriers rooted in the same inequities Biddy fought to overcome. This national recognition highlights the enduring power of investing in freedom, opportunity, and healing.
A VOICE FOR FOSTER YOUTH: SEQUILLA LEE'S STORY OF RESILIENCE AND POWER
At just 10 years old, Sequilla Lee already knew what she wanted to be when she grew up: a social worker.
Today, after overcoming years of instability and abuse within LA’s foster care system, that ambition has become a reality—and a mission.
Born in Riverside County as the oldest of seven siblings, Sequilla entered foster care at age five and remained in and out of the system until she emancipated at 18. The profound challenges she experienced living in 10 different homes only strengthened her resolve to use education to get ahead—a future the BMCF scholarship program has been honored to support.
“Constant moving around, lasting trauma, mental health, lack of trust, financial strains, not having an adult to call for help—these all prevent foster youth from long-term success,” she says. “Having support from BMCF that accepts foster youth at all stages of their lives is vital.”
As a first-gen college student, Sequilla went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts from UC Santa Cruz and a Master of Social Work from Cal State Long Beach. Education became not only a pathway forward, but a source of empowerment.
“The Biddy Mason Scholarship was a vessel for the completion of my degree,” Sequilla shares. “Not only was I awarded the scholarship multiple times, I was also given support in so many other areas of my life.”
Sequilla now pays that support forward in her “dream job.” As an Independent Living Program social worker with the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, she has spent the last decade helping transition-aged youth navigate adulthood.
Her encounter with foster care allows her to connect deeply with the young people she serves, many of whom are facing the same barriers she once did.
“Going through foster care was the hardest thing I’ve been through, so I know that I am equipped for all battles. There is nothing that I am truly afraid of,” she says. “I gained self-confidence, which I use to advocate for my youth every day.”
For Sequilla, her deepest pride is rooted in who she has become: a leader, mentor, sister, aunt, and healer who refuses to let others feel alone in their journey.
“I will forever remember the legacy of Biddy Mason,” she says, “and vow to always advocate for foster youth.”
BECAUSE OF YOU: A HEARTFELT THANKS
Dear friends,
This year continues to bring blessings to the Biddy Mason Charitable Foundation. I remain continually amazed at what we have done together.
The birth of our scholarship program came from an anonymous supporter who wanted foster youth to receive higher education. That dream has now supported more than 500 students through scholarships totaling over $700,000. I am not shy to announce we are marching to a million.
Students repeatedly told us funding was difficult to find after age 21. We listened. Our program does not cap the age of our applicants, allowing us to support scores of graduate students—including six who are completing their PhDs—in addition to undergraduate and vocational students. One BMCF scholarship recipient who began his college journey while serving 28 years in prison received his doctorate in sociology from USC this June! In turn, he has devoted his career to helping other foster and incarcerated youth find their path.
Once enslaved, our namesake Biddy Mason secured her freedom through God and her surrounding community. Many of the people who helped her remain unknown to this day—not unlike how you have chosen to help students who may never know you personally.
Recently, I’ve received awards from the PBS SoCal Local Hero program, the Los Angeles County Black Employees Association, the Black Women Lawyers of Los Angeles, and the Fortitude Foundation for service to the foster care community. But these awards are not truly mine. Nothing this foundation has accomplished for current and former foster youth would have taken place without your support and God’s blessings.
The scars of trauma, abandonment, and abuse lie deep within the skin of foster youth. More than anything, they need community to truly thrive.
Thank you for being exactly who they need. The applause all goes to you.
