Transformations By Spokane Angels

Children placed in foster care face very high risks for much worse outcomes later in life than their peers who are not in foster care. This isn’t only because the situation that caused them to be placed in the care of the state was traumatic, but also because the experience of being in foster care layers on additional trauma. An overwhelming body of evidence shows that the kind of ongoing, chronic trauma experienced by these children not only severely impacts their emotional state and behavioral needs during childhood, but also leads to drastically poorer outcomes as they reach adulthood. One of the main contributors to the trauma children experience in foster care is the lack of community support and stable relationships with caring, responsible, dependable adults. Placement in the foster system can sometimes equate to stability, but more often children are repeatedly moved, often far from their community and all they know, uprooting and re-traumatizing them again and again.

In addition, the parenting of a hurt child takes tremendous resources of time, education, and heart. And when a foster parent gives up, effects ripple in our community and social and economic costs begin to accrue.

Children, youth, and families experiencing foster care desperately need community. This is why we have developed the Love Box and Dare to Dream programs––for people like you, who may not be called to foster or adopt, to create real impact through intentional giving, relationship building, and mentorship.

We know that trauma can be healed in the context of healthy, supportive relationships, and our programs help bring just that––relational healing, empowerment, and hope. We believe that “Not everyone is called to foster, not everyone is called to adopt, but everyone can make a difference in the life of a child.” We've invented a new way to serve: heart-to-heart in the home of a family. Showing up for children. Encouraging youth. Supporting caretakers.

Our hope is that through our programs we can:
1) Walk alongside children, youth, and families in the foster care community by
offering consistent support through intentional giving, relationship building, and
mentorship.
2) Increase placement stability and minimize trauma by supporting the entire family
unit.
3) Provide children, youth, and families with a sense of normalcy, during a time that
can feel very uncertain.

1) We accomplish this through our Love Box and Dare to Dream programs, which
match dedicated volunteers with youth and families experiencing foster care. These
volunteers commit to being a consistent support in their lives, by meeting a
minimum of once monthly with families (in our Love Box program) or twice monthly
with youth (in our Dare to Dream program).
2) It is our hope that with this added layer of community, foster parents would have
the support that they need to continue fostering, children would stay in placements
longer, and the trauma caused by moving from home-to-home-to-home would be
minimized.
3) We increase normalcy by helping provide children with experiences like a “Back To School Bash” and fulfilling holiday wishlists.

Spokane Angels has 3 full-time staff members, 1 part-time Development Director, and 1-2 interns every semester who are committed to pushing the mission forward. In addition, we have committed donors, as well as volunteers, who play critical roles in making the work that we do possible. In 2020 alone, the combination of all of these efforts included reaching 505 children (total served) and 13 families (served monthly) by 214 volunteers. Our long-term vision is to reach and serve every single child and family experiencing the foster care system in Spokane and its surrounding areas through our Love Box and Dare to Dream programs. We believe that with the help of our community in building awareness, we will continue to grow our support base to a place where this vision will be realized.

To date, we have served hundreds of children and families experiencing foster care
in Spokane and its surrounding areas through our Love Box and Dare to Dream programs, as well as events,
service projects, and one-time boxes.
The impact of our Love Box and Dare to Dream programs have been documented mainly through anecdotal
evidence thus far––and foster parent feedback, changes seen in foster children, volunteer reports, collaborations, and partnerships built with child placement agencies and other community groups are clearly indicating success. We are seeing lives being impacted right here in our community. We are seeing children and families experiencing foster care differently.
Our vision for the future is to continue to expand our programs and reach within
Spokane and its surrounding areas. We are currently serving just under 50 children on a monthly basis through our programs, however, there are currently around 1000 children in foster homes or substitute care services in our region. Our goal is to grow our funding, staff, and volunteer base to be able to serve every one of these
children.