How Children’s Harbor Helps Broward Teens

I had a powerful conversation with Children’s Harbor Chief Development Officer, and Fort Lauderdale local, Vanessa Seltzer about what foster care really looks like in Broward County, far from the postcard beaches most of us picture when we think about South Florida. We talked about the thousands of kids in Florida’s foster care system, the teens who have bounced through 20 different placements before landing at Children’s Harbor’s eight‑acre, family‑style campus in Pembroke Pines and what it means for them to “age out” at 18 with no safety net. Vanessa walked me through how Children’s Harbor runs two campuses, including Browns Harbor’s affordable apartments for 18 to 23 year olds who still get life coaching, mental health support and a boutique where they can pick out furniture and clothes for their first real place. We dug into their family strengthening program that steps into real Broward homes after loss, job changes or trauma to keep kids out of foster care, and we talked about simple ways you and your business can help, from monthly gift card drives and mock interviews to hosting workshops on LinkedIn, taxes, credit and entrepreneurship. We also highlighted the Harbor Social at Palm Garden in East Broward, a June 25 event where your ticket turns directly into mission support so Children’s Harbor can keep kids safe, stable and seen as more than just a statistic. Chapters 00:27 Foster Care in Broward 02:41 Inside Children’s Harbor 06:49 Aging Out Explained 11:59 Family Strengthening Support 15:46 Ways to Get Involved 20:18 Workshops and Career Paths 23:02 Harbor Social Event 25:50 Breaking the Foster Care Stigma === Guest: Vanessa Seltzer, Children’s Harbor Website: https://childrensharbor.org LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-seltzer-0a430322 === People Mentioned Tiffany Dhooge (CEO), Children’s Harbor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanidhooge/ Nicholas Sproul: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-sproul-pa-srs-clhms-62672347/ Cadence Real Estate Group: https://cadencerealtor-xdvumtih.manus.space/ DCF (Florida Department of Children and Families): https://www.myflfamilies.com ChildNet: Website: https://www.childnet.usdnet Palm Garden Event House: https://www.palmgardenevents.com === Events / Attractions / Venues Harbor Social presented by Cadence: https://app.betterunite.com/childrensharbor-harborsocialpresentedbycadence === MUSIC LICENSE CERTIFICATE Title: Happy Epic And Confident Corporate Background Piece To Suit Health Or Dynamic Item ID: 195889930 Publisher: Saowakhon Brown Composer: Saowakhon Brown License: Individual License, Commercial Stock Media provided by TheSaoLady / Pond5 Website: https://www.letstalklauderdale.com/ Let’s Talk Lauderdale is hosted by Marvin Bee & Jen Stewart. Subscribe for more behind-the-scenes Lauderdale stories and pass this episode along—because every Fort Lauderdale memory deserves an audience.