Rooted in Gratitude: Growing Together for Alaska’s Youth
Contributed by Jessica Jones-Stotler
From lakefront laughter to life-changing care, REACH 907 continues to restore, empower, and strengthen Alaska’s youth and their families.
Every big story starts small, and ours began at the lake.
Years ago, what started as a camp for at-risk youth, full of splashing, laughter, and the kind of joyful noise that comes from kids learning to trust again, has grown into something so much more: a movement of hope, healing, and community. It wasn’t always quiet or serene; it was real, raw, and often messy. But in those moments, when a child finally felt seen for who they are rather than the behaviors they displayed, something beautiful began to take root. That’s where REACH 907 was born.
Today, that same heart continues to guide our mission, to restore, empower, and strengthen Alaska’s youth and their families.
Our vision is bold yet beautifully simple: That all youth in Alaska know they are loved and cared for.
Over the years, that vision has taken root through trauma-informed camps, compassionate case management, and wrap-around support for families. We’ve seen young people rediscover their worth, parents find renewed strength, and communities rally together in ways that prove healing happens when we show up for one another.
One of the ways we do this is through connection, the foundation of healing and trust. Sometimes it looks like playful engagement on a field or a spontaneous dance party at camp. Other times, it’s a clinician listening to a caregiver share the weight of their worries, a case manager helping a family navigate complex systems, or a team offering compassionate care during the trying seasons of raising vulnerable children. Through this trauma-informed approach, we’ve learned that healing doesn’t begin with correction—it begins with connection. And that simple truth has changed everything.
From those energetic camp days to the growing network of wrap-around services, community behavioral health, case management, and now Therapeutic Foster Care, the journey has been one of faith, perseverance, and partnership. Every volunteer, donor, stakeholder, business partner, church, and supporter who has believed in this work has helped light the way forward.
Because of you, a child who once felt unseen now knows they matter.
Because of you, a family burdened by trauma is finding hope again.
Because of you, we continue to grow deeper roots in this community we love.
As we look ahead, our hearts are full of gratitude. REACH 907 is not just an organization, it’s a family. It’s proof of what happens when a community comes together, linked by compassion and a shared belief that every child deserves love, belonging, and the chance to thrive.
Thank you, Alaska, for believing in us, standing with us, and helping us build a brighter tomorrow, one heart, one home, one life at a time.
Hope & Healing Corner
Healing is rarely quiet. It’s found in laughter that breaks through fear, in listening when someone feels unheard, and in choosing to see the person behind the behavior. When we meet people with compassion instead of correction, connection begins, and that’s where restoration takes root.