Liam* and Anela* were unsure if becoming foster caregivers was right for them. “We heard stories that foster care [was] really difficult because you develop a bond with a kiddo and saying goodbye is hard,” said Anela. Through Amara, they learned that providing foster care meant providing a temporary and loving home for kids until
Category: Family Stories
Lilianna’s Story
At Amara, our foster caregivers and caseworkers go the extra mile for kids and families involved in the child welfare system. They not only navigate multiple foster journeys, they blaze new paths forward in connection and healing. One of our foster families is on the road to reunification for a child in their care for
Connection Can Bring Healing
Sometimes difficult childhoods can drive people to become change-makers as adults. For Devon, that has meant fostering nearly two dozen kids with her husband James over the last several years. Together they have cared for infants, young children, school-age kids, tweens and teens. Through it all, they’ve provided support, guidance, and plenty of love. Amara
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
The Power of Relationships: Sarah, Josh, and Samantha
We believe in the power of relationships. Sarah, Josh, and Samantha show us that amazing things happen when all of the adults – regardless of whether they are foster parents, family members, or parents – are supported to be there for youth.
Family Connections: Yuvia’s Story
By the time Yuvia came to stay with Yvette she had already been in multiple foster homes. But this was different. Yuvia’s mother, Dezaray, and foster parent Yvette developed a support system with and for each other in order to be there for Yuvia. Like Yuvia says, “When we’re all here together, I think: family,
A Network of Family: Katie and Caitlin’s Story
“I feel like our lives have been really enriched, but it was always in the purpose of keeping the girls connected to their people. That has felt like we’ve forged really amazing relationships with their birth families and it’s been incredible.” Watch Katie and Caitlin’s journey as foster and adoptive parents.
Build a Bigger Table
Too often in foster care, I’ve seen “saviorism attitudes”, where the focus is on the foster parents and how their actions “saved” the child in their care. But foster care isn’t about saving a child – or even saving a family. It’s about coming alongside another family and doing the messy work of building real relationships.
Grayson’s Story: A Foster Family and Birth Family Come Together
“Our situation is unique,” says Jonathan Biron about the close relationship his family has with their son Grayson’s biological family. “But it doesn’t have to be.”