Stories and News - Page 2 of 18 - Amara

Stories and News

We believe in the power of stories.

There is nothing we can say that is more powerful than what our families and their kids say in their own words. Watch, read, and listen to their stories and experiences — and stay in the know about the latest happenings at Amara.

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.”

See Their Story
Mountain Road Road Through The Vineyards At Sunset. Wachau Valley"n

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
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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
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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
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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
African American Grandfather And Grandson Face To Face

Kin Connections to Serve Kinship Families in King and Pierce Counties

One of the new programs Amara is launching this fall will directly help kinship families in our King and Pierce county communities. Kin Connections will help kinship caregivers connect to the resources and supports they need to parent relative children, many of whom often arrive in their caregivers’ homes with little notice. To help ease
Korah Loyd

Lived Experience Advice for Foster Caregivers During Back-to-School Season

It’s exhausting being a teen in foster care. That exhaustion increases during the first few weeks of school. It’s important for foster caregivers to understand this and provide the teens and tweens in their care with plenty of “space and grace” as they navigate all the stresses of back-to-school, according to Korah Loyd, who spent
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Washington Will No Longer Pursue Parents of Kids in Foster Care for Child Support

The state of Washington will no longer attempt to collect child support payments from parents whose children have been placed in licensed out-of-home care. The Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families ended this practice as of September 1, 2022. A recent study found that referring parents to child support collection lengthened the time
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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
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New State Settlement Proposed in Class-Action Foster Care Lawsuit

Youth in foster care and foster caregivers in Washington have an opportunity to comment on a proposed settlement agreement in a class-action lawsuit involving certain youth in foster care and Disability Rights Washington (DRW), and the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). The lawsuit was filed to end multiple one-night foster stays and group