Mission

Mission

Fosterful is a nonprofit organization that provides trauma-informed support for children and caregivers experiencing foster care through holistic and customized care plans. Whether assisting during everyday moments or on-call at child welfare offices, we maintain a consistent and caring presence in the lives of foster families through vital resources, enrichment opportunities, on-the-ground support, and personalized case management.

Vision

Vision

Fosterful's vision is that every child in foster care may experience permanency and belonging through tangible resources and meaningful connection with their community.


Values

Values

  1. Respect and Inclusivity: We believe there’s power in every voice, regardless of their role or relationship, and are committed to fostering a culture where mutual respect and inclusiveness are paramount.
  2. Collaboration: Teamwork is our cornerstone. We make decisions together and unite behind shared goals.
  3. Customer Service: We prioritize our clients and donors, delivering exceptional consistent, empathetic service.
  4. Integrity and Transparency: We build trust through ethical behavior and clear communication in all interactions.

These principles guide our actions and shape the culture of our organization daily.

History

In 2013, co-founder Sarah Desjarlais was a foster parent attending a meeting at the child welfare office in Vancouver, Washington. During that meeting, she saw a little boy sitting alone in a conference room – his meal and toys sitting untouched. He was alone in every sense of the word. His social worker sat across the hall, feverishly working the phone, trying to find a place he could call home. It occurred to her how hard it must be to do everything required of a social worker - and give a child who has just endured trauma the attention and comfort they need. A conversation with CPS supervisor Kim Karu followed, and the two women founded what was then known as Office Moms & Dads - using a mother's intuition and a social worker's know-how.

As child welfare offices remained shuttered throughout the pandemic and intake numbers decreased, our volunteers rallied to support local foster care communities. They provided meals, remote learning supplies, boxes of new clothing, Holiday gifts, and more to kids in care and their families. Funders stepped up, and we got busy training more volunteers to answer the tidal wave of needs that would come.

In 2020, we joined the national conversation about systemic racism because children of color have been, and continue to be, overrepresented in foster care. As we met with tribal leaders and members of Black and Hispanic community groups to hear their thoughts on becoming a more inclusive organization, a common topic of conversation was the title we had given ourselves as Office "Moms and Dads." For many children, the title of ‘Mom’ or ‘Dad’ is reserved for two people alone. It doesn’t matter what they did - kids will always love their parents on some level. We had to honor that family culture. We had to change our name.

We believe 'Fosterful' highlights that we have become more than caring companions. Through trauma-informed care practices, we provide nurturing environments and basic necessities to kids entering foster care. While those things will always be the heartbeat of what we do, we now have room to grow into a MOVEMENT for changing the System from the inside out.

What started with five volunteers in one child welfare office has grown to nearly 400 volunteers (and counting) across Washington.

Conozca la junta directiva

Dawn Redmond

Dawn Redmond

Presidente de la Junta Directiva

Zach Desjarlais

Zach Desjarlais

Vicepresidente de la Junta

Tracy Woods

Tracy Woods

Secretario del Consejo

Kamron Miller

Kamron Miller

Tesorero de la Junta

Dara Alexander

Dara Alexander

Miembro del Consejo de Administración

Mike Lee

Mike Lee

Miembro del Consejo de Administración

Hart Green

Hart Green

Miembro del Consejo de Administración

Conoce al equipo

Sarah Desjarlais

Sarah Desjarlais

Director Ejecutivo

Sarah Copes

Sarah Copes

VP of People and Projects

Lindsay Morgan

Lindsay Morgan

Program Engagement Officer

Cyndi Lea

Cyndi Lea

Especialista administrativo

Glenn Durden

Glenn Durden

Adquisición de donaciones

Samantha Forrester

Samantha Forrester

Caregiver Support Program Manager

Ashley Holsten

Ashley Holsten

Behavioral Case Aide (Sidekick)

Principales patrocinadores

Fosterful se financia gracias a la filantropía. Dependemos del generoso apoyo de personas, empresas y fundaciones benéficas de las comunidades a las que servimos. Un agradecimiento especial a estas fundaciones que han hecho contribuciones significativas hacia la sostenibilidad de Fosterful, y a estos patrocinadores presentadores de nuestros principales eventos de recaudación de fondos.

Fundaciones

Patrocinadores de la presentación