Honoring the Families Who Say Yes: Foster Care Appreciation Month
Contributed by Jessica Stotler
May is Foster Care Awareness Month, a time to recognize the children, families, and community members who step into one of the most meaningful, and often unseen, roles in our community.
Every day, foster parents open their homes to children who may be carrying grief, fear, uncertainty, or the effects of trauma. They step into difficult moments with patience and consistency, helping create spaces where youth can begin to feel safe, valued, and cared for. While foster care can bring challenges, it also brings incredible moments of connection, growth, and healing.
Many foster parents will tell you the same thing: the small moments matter most. It’s the bedtime routines. The rides to school. The encouragement after a hard day. The consistency of showing up over and over again. For children who have experienced instability, those everyday acts of care can help rebuild trust and change the trajectory of a life.
Through REACH 907 and its growing Therapeutic Foster Care program, families are being equipped and supported to care for youth with significant emotional and behavioral needs. Therapeutic foster care provides additional training, resources, and wraparound support so families are not carrying the weight alone. It is a reminder that healing happens best when children and caregivers are surrounded by community. And that support matters now more than ever.
There are still children in Alaska waiting for safe and stable homes, and there are foster families who could use encouragement along the way. During Foster Care Appreciation Month, our community has an opportunity not only to thank foster parents, but to actively support them and honor foster youth well.
Support can look different for everyone. It may mean bringing a meal to a foster family, volunteering at camps or community programs, donating clothing or supplies, offering respite care, mentoring youth, or simply learning more about trauma-informed care and the realities foster families navigate each day.
Most importantly, it means seeing foster youth not simply through the lens of vulnerability, but through the lens of potential. These are resilient, capable young people who deserve to be known, celebrated, and given opportunities to thrive.
Strong communities are built when people choose to step toward one another in love and support. Foster families cannot do this work alone, and they were never meant to. This month, may we honor those who have said yes to caring for children in need, and may more people in our community begin asking how they, too, can become part of the healing.
For more info, visit reach907ak.org.