Tommy Andrade’s mantra is: “If you want to make an impact, you don’t have to change the whole world. You can plant a seed in your own community.” For him, this means supporting kids and families in foster care. Tommy is a barber and will offer free haircuts to kids in foster and kinship care
Category: Community

The Power of Community-Centered Program Design
Amara has launched several new programs to serve kids and families lately. One of the key “ingredients” in these new programs is the wisdom of people with lived experience. Their input infused each program so we could find ways to best serve kids and families, and ways to reduce possible barriers to reaching the programs

Amara Presents to Pierce County Council Human Services Committee
We love being in community and sharing about our work for kids and families. Nicole Mazen, Amara’s Chief Program and Policy Officer, and Julie Hoffman, our Pierce County Early Childhood Court Program Coordinator, recently presented about our programs and impact in Pierce County to the Human Services Committee at the Pierce County Council. Amara and

Speaking of Change in Foster Care and Adoption Series
We’re peeling back the curtain on foster care and adoption! Join us on March 30th from 12:00-1:00pm as we take a deep dive into what our foster care program actually does for kids and families, what makes Amara’s approach unique, and what we’ve learned as we’ve transformed our approach over the past decade.

Amara Opens New Family Resource Center
Essential concrete goods and helpful information about local resources can be difficult for families to find. Last week Amara opened our new Family Resource Center in our Tacoma office. On our first day we provided groceries for a family and provided housing resources to help keep another family in their home. By providing families with

Sometimes Timing Is Perfect – Generous Gift Helps Kinship Family
It takes courage to reach out for help. And we’re honored a grandparent caring for their two school-aged grandchildren in King County entrusted us to help their family through our new Kin Connections program for support. Soon after reaching out to us, the grandparent shared that one of their family’s greatest needs was new tires

Amara and Nonprofit Partners Work Together To Expand Access to Food and Other Essentials
Being in community as a nonprofit can make a huge difference for families experiencing tough times. And when nonprofits partner to serve more families together than they could individually, they can reach and help more people. A great case in point is how Amara and the Making a Difference Foundation are working together to expand

Speaking of Change: How Parent and Caregiver Partnerships Can Help Children Thrive
“Relationships are what change people.” Shrounda Selivanoff, a parent and kinship caregiver who also is the Director of Public Policy at the Children’s Home Society of Washington shared this important truth as a panelist at our Speaking of Change conversation on “How Parent and Caregiver Partnerships Can Help Children Thrive.” Amara’s Speaking of Change

Amara in Community – South Seattle
When community cares for one another, incredible things happen. Our first Community Resource Giveaway event helped dozens of families get the supplies they need for back-to-school and beyond. An additional 200 families got much-needed supplies like diapers and books, thanks to another nonprofit that attended ours to gather items for them. It was wonderful to