“She’s my daughter.” — Josefina, Heather’s foster mother Heather has come a long way. The 7-year-old who threw things and hit walls during her tantrums is now an 18-year-old college freshman. Heather’s resilience and intelligence were always inside her. But she needed someone to bring out the best in her. That someone was Josefina, the…
A young boy, Jimmy, was left alone in the South Los Angeles apartment he shared with this mother. Addicted to drugs, she often left him alone. He would regularly awaken to strangers in his home or an empty home without a trace of his mother. Although she always came back, he never knew what to…
Regina is an extraordinary mom. She learned at an early age that she would not be able to give birth to children of her own. But she wanted a family. And she wanted to help children in need. Now Regina is foster mom to three children with special needs: two teenage sisters and a 10-month-old…
“That’s not for me,” Virginia remembers thinking when she heard a radio ad encouraging people to become foster parents. “Then I felt guilty.” She asked God to give her a sign if he wanted her to be a foster parent. “The next day, I saw a great big sign saying ‘become a foster parent’ as…
Did you know…? …the number of foster families in L.A. County dropped from 6,000 in 2008 to 4,000 in 2018. …roughly 21,000 children in L.A. County are in foster care. …up to 80% of foster children have chronic medical conditions or physical, developmental, learning or mental health disabilities. A new grant from W. M. Keck…
“Many people thought I was going to break when I went into foster care,” says 19-year-old Melanie. “But I knew that I was strong enough to become the person I wanted to be.” At age 15, Melanie entered the child welfare system and was placed with a foster family. “I was nervous and a little…
Frankie knows how children feel when they are suddenly removed from their homes because of abuse or neglect. “You start off scared. You’re being taken out of your home,” he explains. “You’re overwhelmed, you want your mother or father.” Frankie knows this because he lived it. At age 7, he entered foster care due to…
In her position, Seana oversees the foster care program in Wayfinder’s Ontario location and runs the adoption program across all offices. Seana has a deep understanding of the struggles and rewards of fostering and adopting children because she has two adopted daughters. After eight years of marriage and no children, Seana was saving for an…
Former Foster Youth in Wayfinder’s Foster Care and Adoption Program When you first came to Wayfinder, what was your biggest obstacle? What did Wayfinder do to help you overcome it and thrive? My biggest obstacle was feeling that nobody heard me or believed me. My social worker helped me. She would talk to me on…
Wayfinder Residential Counselor at The Cottage, a Transitional Shelter Care Program How do you bring Wayfinder Family Services’ mission to life? I show the residents that when you work for something, you will be rewarded. When you help someone, when you show compassion to someone, compassion will come back to you. What does being a…
