Our Mission…
TGIF Inc. exists to provide foster/at-risk youth ages 13–17 with the consistent support, safe community, practical guidance, and meaningful experiences they need to thrive—not simply survive. Through mentorship, supportive conversations, creative expression, life-skills development, educational enrichment, community service, and exposure to new opportunities, we help young people recognize their strengths, build confidence, and prepare for adulthood. Our mission is to ensure that every participant feels heard, valued, supported, and reminded that the circumstances they were born into do not have to determine their future.
About the Founder
Phoenix Maria is the founder and executive director of TGIF Inc., an organization created to empower foster youth through consistent support, creative expression, practical life skills, mentorship, and meaningful community experiences. As a former foster youth, Phoenix brings both lived experience and a deeply personal understanding of the challenges young people can face while growing up in the foster-care system.
Phoenix spent years living in foster homes and group homes, where she experienced several forms of abuse, instability, and displacement. As a teenager, she was labeled an “at-risk youth” and experienced juvenile incarceration, probation, house arrest, and homelessness. At seventeen, Phoenix left foster care and began navigating adulthood on her own, without the stable support system, preparation, or guidance that every young person deserves.
Despite those circumstances, Phoenix refused to allow her past to determine her future. She became a devoted mother of two, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, advocate, and Amazon bestselling author. Her published works include The Lyin’ King, The Lyin’ King 2, The Rise of the Goddess, and The Book of Light. Through her writing, Phoenix explores healing, personal transformation, relationships, resilience, and the power of reclaiming one’s story.
Phoenix is also pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Writing for Film and Television at the Los Angeles Film School. As a film student and developing screenwriter, she is passionate about creating stories that center voices and experiences that are often overlooked. She believes storytelling can help people understand their experiences, release shame, discover their voices, and imagine a life beyond what they have endured.
After relocating from South Carolina to Los Angeles with her two children, Phoenix began building TGIF from the ground up. The organization was inspired by the support, community, guidance, and opportunities she needed during her own years in foster care. She created TGIF to ensure that young people have a safe place to speak honestly, explore their creativity, develop practical skills, experience new opportunities, and build relationships with people who believe in their potential.
Phoenix understands that foster youth are often defined by their files, placements, behaviors, or circumstances before others take the time to understand their stories. Her mission is to remind every young person that their past does not determine their worth and that the challenges they have experienced do not have to become their final destination.
Through TGIF, Phoenix is transforming her lived experience into a source of hope, empowerment, and opportunity for the next generation. Her vision is to build a lasting community that supports foster youth through adolescence and eventually provides continued guidance for young adults aging out of care.
Phoenix’s message is simple: every young person deserves to feel heard, valued, supported, and reminded of their greatness along the way.