Tammy Kincaid began her presentation with a history of Falcon Links. She was in foster care as a young woman, which helped guide her to this role, and she was part of the founding of Falcon Links. Tammy noted that a very low percentage (about 3%) of young people coming out of foster care and other challenging family situations go to college, and between 3-10% of them graduate. Click Read More for additional information including interesting facts and statistics.
The UWRF Social Work program requires internships, which was vital in getting enough resources to provide support to the FL students. Alyssa Olson,, a former Social Work intern, started her talk by stating that number of students served has grown from 7 students in the program to 52 in 2024-25. Falcon Links has met its stated goal of engaging at least 40 students. Most students were involved in the Child Protective Services (CPS) system – incarceration, mental health hospitalization of a parent, or experiencing homelessness.
Falcon Links added goals are to connect students with others and to provide problem-solving, counseling and case management. The program can also assist with applying for insurance and Medicaid, and Falcon Links can also provide academic and housing support during breaks along with employment planning and application assistance. Money management and basic documents are another focus.
The longest-standing UW system program is at UW Stout, which has been in place for 10 years. It currently has 45 students.
Some Falcon Links successes in 23-24: Family Fresh weekly donations, Lions providing vision checks and glasses. Partner with DOTS for job opportunities and computer donations for students in need. Falcon Links has also partnered with Luther Memorial Church for Amazon $25 gift card drive. The program has established a weekly study time and place. Tammy and Alyssa noted Rotary the donation for food support as part of foodshare program.
Real-time crisis help is another focus. Have seen suicidal thoughts as a type of crisis to be managed and worked through. Alyssa also described working with a former student who had dropped out and was identified by a local hospital after a personal crisis. The Falcon Links help was instrumental in getting the student re-enrolled at UWRF.
Some statistics from the speakers: 62% of students come from foster care background; 60% note a periodic food deficit. More than 1/3 have experienced homelessness. More than 80% have an estranged or no relationship with biological parents.
About the presenters: Tammy Kincaid has 35+ years’ experience in social services. She previously worked as the Director of Human Services for Pierce County and prior to that worked for Washington County in Child Protective Services. She has 3 adult children and lives in Stillwater with two dogs and a cat. In her free time she likes driving across the country in a minivan that she converted to a camper. Tammy was previously a member of the Stillwater Rotary Club and a very long time ago was a Rotary exchange student in Ulm, Germany, sponsored by the New Ulm, MN Rotary club.
Alyssa Olson is a graduate of UWRF social work program and recently graduated from Florida State University with her Master’s degree in Social Work. She has 10+ years experience working in child welfare for Pierce and Washington counties. Alyssa is passionate about helping young people succeed and been instrumental in helping the Falcon Links program grow and develop. Alyssa lives in River Falls with her husband and two children and likes to hike in her free time.
The program's UWRF Social Work intern, Elaine Wittenburg, was also at the meeting.