Angelo, age 4, was beginning to adjust to the idea that he was going to be adopted by his maternal grandparents because his mom had given up her parental rights. She was struggling with substance abuse. Claudia, a Wayfinder mental health therapist, was helping Angelo work through his emotions. Despite her struggles, Angelo’s mom, Emilia,…
The first hint of trouble came when 16-year-old Sergio was playing baseball. “Less central vision in my left eye was making it harder to see the ball,” he recalls. “I was getting hit in the face by the baseball.” As he sought answers, he began to lose central vision in his right eye. The rest…
TJ is an adorable 18-month-old boy with a big personality. He is sociable, friendly and determined. When he was born, he gave his parents, Katharine and Tra’Len, a big surprise. Their baby was blond, with light eyes. Everyone in the family has dark hair and eyes. They learned that TJ had a form of albinism,…
Why is community the answer? Since Wayfinder’s founding, we have been building community. In the organization’s early years, we gave children who were blind a chance to meet and befriend other children like them. At Camp Bloomfield, on trips to the circus and at dances, they built a community. We continue to build and nurture…
What have you learned about the power of community? Social connection is very important to well-being. Last year, the focus of The Conversation, Wayfinder’s annual panel discussion on important issues in human services, was the health impact of loneliness. Our panelists discussed research in the Surgeon General’s 2023 report on the epidemic of loneliness and…
For most of us, family is the center of our lives. They’re the people who care about us and know us best. Ryan is a teenager who lost both his parents in less than two years. Ryan also has Down syndrome. This kind of loss is devastating, of course. Ryan’s relatives were not able to…
“I’m a proud adoptive mom of two little boys who are siblings through foster care. I feel very lucky that I’ve had the opportunity to experience motherhood in a different way as a single parent.” Kylene is the Director of Recruiting Services at Caltech. Her journey through motherhood and adoption as a single person drew…
October is National Estate Planning Awareness Month, the perfect time to consider creating an estate plan and ensuring your wishes are carried out. Estate planning isn’t just about money! It’s about giving you peace of mind, knowing your loved ones will be cared for and your legacy will be preserved. A well-crafted plan can: ●…
How was the summer for Wayfinder Family Services? There were so many special Wayfinder Moments this summer, and true to our name, all of them were about finding ways to empower people so that they could reach their full potential. During Wayfinder’s Camp Bloomfield sessions, campers who are blind or visually impaired participated in “packing…
Your kindness made a tremendous difference to a little boy named Daniel!* Daniel lives with his foster parents and 8 other children, many of them also foster kids. His foster parents will tell you that he’s a very sweet kid. Daniel doesn’t speak, can’t see and uses a wheelchair. He was isolated at his last…
