Today we’d like to introduce you to Crystal Wharton.
Hi Crystal , we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and moved to Florida with my family as a teenager. One of the defining moments of my life came during my senior year of high school when I became pregnant with my son. At that time, many people looked at my situation and assumed my future was limited, but I learned one of the most important lessons of my life: being down does not mean you are out.
I was blessed to have a strong support system around me. My family rallied around me during one of the most challenging seasons of my life and helped me realize that my circumstances did not have to determine my future. Because of their support, I graduated high school and went on to attend the University of South Florida, where I earned my bachelor’s degree in Communications.
Today, my son is 17 years old and recently graduated from the very same high school where I was a pregnant teenager 17 years ago. Watching him walk across that stage was a true full-circle moment and a reminder that perseverance, support, and determination can change the trajectory of a family’s future.
I am also blessed to have been married to my husband, Nick, for 10 years. He works in real estate, and together we are raising our five-year-old daughter, Cali, who is the sunshine of our family and the inspiration behind so much of what I do.
My personal journey as a single teenage parent led me to create a nonprofit called The C.A.L.I. Project, which stands for Caring About Living Individuals. The organization was created to provide transitional housing, workforce development, mentorship, and mental health support for youth aging out of foster care ,survivors of human trafficking, and other vulnerable populations. I know firsthand how life-changing a strong support system can be, and I wanted to help create that same sense of stability, opportunity, and hope for young people facing difficult circumstances.
We have been doing this work for over 2 years and as I continued growing the organization, I wanted to find new ways to bring awareness to the challenges facing foster youth and vulnerable young adults. That led me to compete in the Mrs. Tampa Bay Petite pageant this past March. While many people see pageants as simply crowns and titles, for me it was an opportunity to use my platform to advocate for a cause that is deeply personal to my heart. My long-term dream is to one day create a beauty pageant for foster youth, which I believe will help build confidence, self-esteem, leadership, and a sense of belonging.
My story is ultimately one of resilience, faith, community, and purpose. I am living proof that our circumstances do not define us, and that with support, opportunity, and determination, we can create a future greater than we ever imagined.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It certainly has not been a smooth road. Becoming a single parent as a teenager came with challenges I could have never fully prepared for. I was balancing high school, caring for a newborn, navigating government assistance programs for funding, and trying to build a future for both myself and my son at the same time. There were moments that felt overwhelming, and looking back, I realize just how easily my story could have turned out so much differently.
What made the difference was the incredible support system I had around me. My family stepped in and helped carry the load when I couldn’t do it alone. Their support allowed me to finish school, pursue higher education, work, and still experience some of the normal milestones of being a young adult. They never let me believe that my circumstances defined my potential.
I often think about families and young people who don’t have that same village. I am incredibly grateful that my son never had to experience the foster care system, but I also recognize that many youth find themselves in difficult situations through no fault of their own. You never truly know what challenges someone is facing behind the scenes.
That experience shaped the way I view service and why I founded The C.A.L.I. Project. I know firsthand the power of having people who believe in you, support you, and help you keep moving forward when life feels impossible. My goal is to provide that same level of support, encouragement, and opportunity to young people who may feel stuck, forgotten, or hopeless. I want them to know that their current circumstances do not have to determine their future, and that with the right support, they can overcome obstacles and build a life they are proud of.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about The Caring About Living Individuals Project?
The C.A.L.I. Project was founded on a simple belief: everyone deserves access to stability, opportunity, and a support system that helps them thrive. We serve youth aging out of foster care, survivors of human trafficking, and other vulnerable populations through a continuum of care that addresses some of the most significant barriers to independence, housing, mental health, workforce development, and mentorship.
What sets us apart is that we don’t focus on just one piece of the puzzle. We recognize that housing alone isn’t enough, and neither is counseling or job training by itself. Lasting change happens when people have access to wraparound support that addresses their whole person and their long-term goals.
One of the areas I am most passionate about is affordable and supportive housing. Through our housing initiative, CALI Place, we currently operate two residential locations, one in Seminole and one in St. Petersburg, providing safe and stable housing for vulnerable young adults. My husband, who is a real estate investor, and I share a vision of expanding affordable housing opportunities throughout our community because we know housing is often the foundation that makes everything else possible. Our goal is to continue growing CALI Place and create additional housing opportunities for young people who would otherwise be at risk of homelessness or instability.
We also operate CALI Cares, our behavioral health and wellness clinic, which provides therapy services, telehealth appointments, wellness workshops, and access to healthcare resources. Understanding that transportation is often a barrier for the youth we serve, we partner with healthcare providers and pharmacists to help ensure medications and services are accessible and delivered when needed.
Our workforce development program, CALI Career Builders, helps young adults develop the skills, confidence, and financial literacy needed to achieve economic independence. We work really hard to connect with employers in the area to create employment pathways and to fill in any gaps that could be considered barriers to their long-term employment success. We are especially excited about our upcoming partnership with Grow Financial and Ready for Life, where we will be providing financial literacy and career readiness training to foster youth preparing for adulthood starting this August!
In addition, our mentorship programs C.A.L.I. Connect for girls & C.A.L.I. MEN-TALITY for boys to connect youth with caring supportive individuals who can provide guidance, encouragement, and positive life experiences. We host monthly meetups out in the community at fun and exciting places for our different groups and we are always looking for mentors, businesses, and community organizations that want to help us expose young people to new opportunities and possibilities.
Brand-wise, what I am most proud of is that The C.A.L.I. Project was built from lived experience, compassion, and a genuine desire to fill gaps that too many young people fall through. We are creating more than programs, we are creating a community. CALI Community, and we have our app launching in just a few weeks that will bring a space for the community to collaborate, come together, and make a lasting change for this generation. Our hope is that every young person we serve knows they are seen, valued, and capable of building a successful future, regardless of where their journey began.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
We are always looking for mentors who are willing to invest their time, knowledge, and encouragement into the lives of young people. Many of the youth we serve simply need a trusted adult who believes in them and can help them navigate life’s challenges and opportunities.
For businesses and community organizations, there are opportunities to partner with us through workforce development pathways, internships, job shadowing, educational workshops, financial literacy training, and sponsorships. We are always looking for organizations that can help expose our youth to new career paths, life experiences, and opportunities for growth.
Healthcare providers, mental health professionals, and wellness organizations can collaborate with our CALI Cares clinic to help expand access to care for vulnerable populations. Likewise, housing partners, landlords, developers, and community leaders can support our vision of creating more affordable and supportive housing opportunities through CALI Place.
Financial support is also critical to helping us expand our impact. Donations and our fundraisers help us provide housing, mentorship, transportation, workforce development programming, mental health services, emergency assistance, and life-enriching experiences for the youth we serve.
Most importantly, we encourage people to learn about the challenges facing youth aging out of foster care and survivors of human trafficking and become advocates within their own communities. Awareness leads to action, and action creates change.
At The C.A.L.I. Project, we truly believe it takes the community.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://caliproject.org/
- Instagram: theecrystalpalace
- Facebook: The CALI Project Inc.
- Other: thecaliprojectinc
