Jupiter Teen Raises $7,000 for Foster Children, Earns Full-Ride Scholarship to USF

Danielle Day graduated from Jupiter Community High School at the top of her class — while holding down a job, taking AP and dual enrollment courses, playing piano, and running a nonprofit club she founded herself. She is 17.

During her junior year, Danielle launched a student chapter of Speak Up for Kids, a Palm Beach County nonprofit that advocates for abused and neglected children in the foster care system.

The club has since raised more than $7,000 through clothing drives, Thanksgiving food collections, and holiday toy drives — all aimed at improving the emotional well-being and self-worth of foster children in the county.

"We wanted to raise awareness about the struggles that children in foster care go through but also provide resources that would help their emotional well-being and self-worth," Danielle told CBS12.

Her motivation goes beyond service. After volunteering abroad with her uncle's mobile school for homeless children in Ecuador and teaching music to kids at El Sol in Jupiter, she developed a deep commitment to youth advocacy. That commitment deepened when her younger brother suffered a traumatic brain injury, and Danielle stepped in as a caregiver — an experience that redirected her toward medicine.

"I found the brain was really fascinating to me," she said. "Each challenge has made me grow stronger and more dedicated to my goals."

Danielle is heading to the University of South Florida this fall to pursue pediatric neurology — and she'll do it debt-free. The Palm Beach North Education Foundation awarded her a four-year, full-ride scholarship. Executive Director Dr. Colleen Iannitti called the choice an easy one.

"She's overcome hardships in her family, but she's persevered through all of that… we know she's going to go off to college, do great things, and hopefully come back and be part of our community," Dr. Iannitti said.

Source: CBS12