ODBF’s History

Orange Duffel Bag Foundation (ODBF) successfully met its first-year goals and delivered its coaching in several formats to 375 at-risk youth and oriented another 300 youth to ODBF in conferences, summits and meetings. We have collaborated with numerous agencies and organizations – from DHS in both Georgia and Utah to middle and high schools that serve at-risk youth and with a strong focus on older youth in foster care – to create coaching programs that produce positive outcomes.  

During the summer of 2009, a galley copy of the book was given to B.J. Walker, former Commission of DHS. She declared it the “most transformational book I’ve ever encountered.”

In Georgia: GA DHS/ILP gave My Orange Duffel Bag as a gift to 200 high school graduates and college graduates during the 2010 Celebration of Excellence.

In Utah: ODBF co-founder Sam Bracken and ODBF Board Member Brent Jorgensen, who fostered 21 teens from the juvenile justice system and adopted two children from foster care, lead our efforts in Utah. ODBF and Mr. Bracken will continue working with 300 high school age youth in two alternative charter schools in the 2011/2012 school year. ODBF has been working with Utah’s Director of the Division of Child and Family Services Brent Platt and together they conducted two youth summits during summer 2011. The first one-day summit in Ogden attracted 150 youth, foster parents and case managers. The 11th Annual Youth Summit was attended by 150 older youth in care and their case managers from across the state. DHS reported that was triple the number of youth who normally attend this annual event, and attributed it to word-of-mouth about the entire program being designed around ODBF’s 7 Rules for the Road. The Governor of Utah issued a proclamation lauding our work in the state, our creative approach and focus on solutions.

ODBF coaching with youth in foster care and homeless youth has received national media attention on CNN’s Mission Possible and from local media in both Georgia (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 7 segments on 11 Alive News and more) and Utah (The Salt Lake City Tribune, Deseret News, KSTU-Fox 13, KCPW 88.3 radio). Additionally two of our ODBF graduates have been filmed for Soledad O’Brien’s series Foster Care in America, one of which has aired. World-wide rights to My Orange Duffel Bag: A Journey to Radical Change have been sold to Crown Archetype, a division of Random House, and will be re-launched next spring during National Foster Care Month, which will bring additional media attention and awareness to older youth in foster care and homeless youth.