I want to make an impact Whitney Baugher is a new member of the Community Council in Sacramento. She’s a Banking Center Manager for Community West Bank. A Sacramento native, she loves that her job allows her to be more involved with her community. But she wanted more opportunities to become involved in the community….
Herminia and Gerardo wanted so much to be parents. After unsuccessful fertility treatments, they thought about helping children who needed homes. A family friend recommended Wayfinder for fostering children with the potential to adopt. Wayfinder trained and certified Herminia and Gerardo as foster parents The couple was excited—and a little nervous—when they received call in…
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…
Lynne Skyrme was raised to care Growing up in a family that fostered children taught Lynne the value of caring for others Lynne joined the Wayfinder Family Services’ Community Council one year ago. Her family history of fostering children and all that Wayfinder does within the community inspired her to get involved. She loves working…
30% of youth in foster care identify as LGBTQ, a rate nearly three times higher than those not in the foster care system. There are five times more transgender youth in foster care than in the general population. Here are three things foster families can do to support LGBTQ youth: Remember you are not alone:…
Annie Narayan joined Wayfinder’s Community Council in January 2024, but her involvement with the organization began more than five years earlier when she and her husband, Shawn, decided to become foster parents. “We looked at different agencies, and we felt like Wayfinder was the best fit,” she says. “We felt we would get the most…
“My experiences pre-and post-adoption have, without a doubt, led to my career as a social worker today,” says Nick, a Wayfinder family finding social worker. When he was 2 years old, his biological parents left their apartment and never returned, abandoning him and his five older siblings. Nick entered foster care. When he was 3…
A few weeks after becoming certified as foster parents through Wayfinder, Rebeca and Lee received a call about sisters Tatiana and Tessa,* ages 8 and 5. A judge had decided that reunification with their birth parents was no longer an option. The girls needed a permanent home, but they were living with a foster family…
Lara and David Bronson*, who are parents to 14-year-old Dylan and 17-year-old Myla, thought they might like to be foster parents … someday. Maybe when their son and daughter were out of the house. But someday came much sooner than the Bronsons ever expected! Since kindergarten, Dylan had been friends with a boy named Cory….
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…