Secretary, Board of Directors and Wayfinder Community Council member “All children deserve to be in a safe, loving home” says Erica Fernandez. This belief drives her ongoing commitment to Wayfinder. Erica has a demanding job as a senior vice president and region manager for California Bank & Trust in Northern California, plus two sons of…
A visitor to Mila’s high school during lunchtime would have seen a sad, anxious girl sitting alone, hunched over her food. Mila’s childhood had been heartbreakingly difficult. “I had no hope for the future,” Mila remembers. She didn’t know help would come from Wayfinder. As a child, Mila witnessed domestic violence between her biological parents….
How has Wayfinder grown and changed with recent changes in the world? We have changed for the better. We chose our name— Wayfinder—because it’s about moving forward. We’ve always been an organization that keeps progressing. One example is in Child Development Services. Initially because of the pandemic, we began offering child development services for children…
John Nicolaus came to Wayfinder for the landscaping and stayed for the children. Six years ago, Wayfinder received a grant to upgrade the exterior of its Citrus Heights office to improve access for people with disabilities. “Every ADA upgrade requires a landscape architect to fix it up at the end after the sidewalks have been…
Professionally, Jean Minton is Sutter Health’s neuroscience service line executive. Personally she is passionate about helping children in foster care find their forever families. As a Peace Corps volunteer in Malawi during the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Jean witnessed the plight of orphaned children whose parents had died of AIDS. After returning to the…
“Audrey is very brave. I believe it took incredible courage for Audrey to attend Camp Bloomfield,” Wayfinder camp director Audrey, age 15, had lost much of her vision only nine months before she arrived at camp. Doctors had removed a brain tumor that was pressing on her optic nerve. Post-surgery, she has a small circle…
On a human level, I believe we are all here to be of service and to love,” says Anita Siraki. “By supporting Wayfinder, I feel I am doing a part of that duty.” In addition to donating to Wayfinder, Anita is a member of Wayfinder’s Impact Council. The council is a group of professionals who…
Aaronique is living proof that children placed in kinship care with extended family members or close family friends thrive in stable, permanent homes with loving guardians. When she was 5 years old, child welfare workers removed Aaronique from the care of her biological mother who suffered from substance addiction. The little girl went directly into…
Enthusiastic students are returning to Wayfinder’s Special Education School! Among the happy students is Danielle, age 13, who is excited to return for her second year. Danielle is blind and has developmental delays. Her mother, Corinna, transferred Danielle to Wayfinder’s school because she needs more specialized services for visual impairment than she was receiving in…
“As magical as conceiving and childbirth are, adoption has its own amazing pattern of birth,” says Ed Condon, “a birth of the hearts.” About 30 years ago, Ed and his husband, Norman Lorenz, reached out to foster-to-adopt agencies because they wanted a family life with children. But at that time, agencies weren’t welcoming to a…
