OUR STORY

THRU Project was co-founded in 2011 by a foster mother, Elaine Hartle, and a local business owner, Steve O’Donnell, who had grown up in the foster care system. Both were intimately familiar with the challenges that exist for individuals in foster care. The San Antonio community rallied around the plight of individuals aging out of foster care and the shortage of social workers available to assist them. It became apparent that there was a critical need for a permanent organization to provide volunteers who could serve as a connection between former foster youth and the services provided by local nonprofit agencies that could help them achieve healthy, independent lives and successfully bridge the gap between foster care and adulthood.