We Love Our Treehouse!

May 21, 2021 40 Comments

More On My Plate Is Blooming Again

I have been on hiatus here at More on My Plate since the pandemic started.  I’ve actually continued to write, as that is an important part of my daily life.  However… ‘Stay-At-Home’ with 7 kids twenty-four hours a day for the pandemic made me pretty quickly set some priorities for my time; keeping up with the logistics of the More On My Plate website required more time and energy than my days could manage.

Here I am, though, ready to move forward in the coming days and weeks to share what our year was like, to give more pieces of our journey, and to inspire you to contribute to the work of foster care and adoption.  We cannot all foster or adopt children, but we all can Foster Care… by learning more, by supporting a local foster family with your time and your love, and by contributing to people and organizations that are caring for kids in foster care (and the families who care for kids).

May is National Foster Care Month

Since it’s National Foster Care Month, I am very excited to invite you to learn about an organization here in the Pacific Northwest that has been a solid resource and gift for all of my kids and for our family for many years.  We were honored to be asked if we would share some of our thoughts and memories about Treehouse for their Champions fundraising campaign this spring.  Of course we said YES!

I’ll let Treehouse’s words describe their work and then share the video clip that they did with us.  It was an exciting day as their film crew was here for an entire day (and brought us pizza).  After a year of social isolation, having time to interact with others and to show off a bit was so much fun!  And I hear that our stories helped Treehouse raise funds for their programming.  Win-win!

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“Treehouse provides academic and other essential services to over 7,800 youth in foster care across the State of Washington. Their mission is to create “a world where every child who has experienced foster care has the opportunities and support they need to pursue their dreams and launch successfully into adulthood.”

Founded in 1988 by a group of social workers and community fundraisers, Treehouse has grown to become a nationally recognized organization on the topic of foster care. They are working towards another major goal: By 2027, 90% of youth who have experienced foster care in Washington state will complete high school and successfully transition to independence.

Youth in foster care must overcome many barriers in order to reach graduation and succeed in adult life. Finding a place to live can be challenging. In Washington, there is a shortage of licensed foster homes, leaving many youth to be put up in hotel rooms or offices. More than one in three former foster youth will experience homelessness by 26.

Furthermore, children of color are overrepresented in the foster system, as these populations are more likely to be removed from their homes and to not leave the foster care system. The stress of foster care also leads 80% of youth in foster care to struggle with significant mental health concerns. Visit Treehouse’s Foster Care Facts page to learn more about these issues and sources for this data.

To help with these different concerns, Treehouse has developed many programs to make sure youth experiencing foster care have the resources they need across all areas of life. Their Graduation Success and Educational Advocacy programs focus on academic services. In the Launch Success program, Treehouse’s staff work with young adults as they work towards a degree, stable housing and a living wage.

Because financial stressors can also be high for caregivers and families, Treehouse provides Just-in-Time Funding for school and extracurricular fees and Driver’s Assistance for licenses, driver’s education and car insurance. They also encourage youth and families to visit the Treehouse Store, where they can shop for clothing, shoes, school supplies, toys, books, free tickets to events and other essentials for free.

What can we do to support youth in care during National Foster Care Month? Treehouse has many ways to get involved. Help spread the news by following them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn and sharing their posts. Purchase items on their wish list so Treehouse staff can ensure youth and caregivers have all the essentials. You can also rally your network to support Treehouse by hosting an online donation drive.”

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That is such a short little article and it does not fully convey the huge impact that Treehouse has had for all of the kids that I have fostered.  We have taken advantage of nearly every aspect of their programs and every child I’ve ever fostered has grown through time with me and the opportunities and gifts they received from Treehouse.  I’d like to add that, if any of my readers live in the Seattle, WA area, they can also become involved by volunteering in some capacity directly with Treehouse.  We’ve gotten to be on that side of the table, too, with Treehouse and it’s always fun and rewarding.  Our favorite so far?  Helping to sell programs at a Seahawks football home game as a fundraiser!!!! (Go Hawks!)

Click here to watch the video that our family contributed to the Treehouse Champions Fundraiser.

Foster parenting is not for the faint of heart, but with a community that steps up in ways, big and small, the journey is easier and a lot more fun. I’d encourage you to become a part of foster caring in whatever capacity you have in you. Every single thing you do within the fostering community helps a child who deserves to have a childhood and hope for their future.

40 Comments

  1. Reply

    Barbara

    May 31, 2021

    7 kids to love, nurture and protect! God bless you!

    • Reply

      Karla

      May 31, 2021

      God has blessed me richly!!! It’s a hard journey at times, but often fill with joy!

  2. Reply

    Misskorang

    May 31, 2021

    Treehouse sounds quite great and so are you and your family! God bless you for opening your hearts!

    • Reply

      Karla

      May 31, 2021

      God has blessed me richly! Treehouse being one of the BIG blessings in our family life!

  3. Reply

    Sarah Demille

    May 31, 2021

    Wow I have never heard of Treehouse! What an amazing organization! Thanks for the information!

    • Reply

      Karla

      May 31, 2021

      Treehouse is great and has made HUGE gains for foster children in our state. We are blessed!

  4. Reply

    Danielle Ardizzone

    May 31, 2021

    Sounds like an amazing organization!

    • Reply

      Karla

      May 31, 2021

      It IS! And is making huge differences in the lives of foster children

  5. Reply

    Cindy Moore

    May 30, 2021

    Welcome back! I look forward to reading about your year last year.

    • Reply

      Karla

      May 31, 2021

      Thank you, Cindy! I’ve missed you all and have wondered at times how everyone has been during the past year.

  6. Reply

    Maya

    May 29, 2021

    Bless your heart <3 No easy task, yet you do it with so much love and patience, forever changing these beautiful children's life.

    • Reply

      Karla

      May 31, 2021

      It IS a hard journey at times, but I am SO blessed to be surrounded by a wonderful community, both my own circle and the bigger foster care friends. I am loving this journey

  7. Reply

    Stephanie

    May 28, 2021

    As an educator, I have seen many kids go into the foster system as older kids (12-16). These are GREAT kids who enter the system through no fault of their own. The reasons can range from death in the family to a parent with addiction. These kids are so deserving of love and stability. Thank you for this post. I hope people consider giving older foster kids a chance.

    • Reply

      Karla

      May 31, 2021

      Yes! to all of this. One of my favorite foster children came at 12 years old and hated school, had given up, and hated everyone. She ended up graduating high school as president of the Native Club, claiming the only scholarship that her high school bestows and is just the sweetest young lady. I LOVE teenagers.

  8. Reply

    Elaina

    May 27, 2021

    What an amazing and beautiful program to be a part of.

    • Reply

      Karla

      May 31, 2021

      It is AMAZING and such a blessing for our whole family!

  9. Reply

    Jessica

    May 26, 2021

    I admire you!! My mother has custody of 7 grandchildren, 2 that are grown and on their own and 5 still that live in the home with us and I help raise. It is definitely not for the weary or faint at heart. It’s a tough, but oh so rewarding! I love them so much and they have taught me so much for when I actually have children of my own! They are a blessing for sure!

    • Reply

      Karla

      May 26, 2021

      You KNOW the journey! A kindred spirit. Give your mom a lot of hugs and keep a few for yourself! And keep loving on those kids.

  10. Reply

    Tiffany

    May 26, 2021

    This sounds like a fantastic and important program!

    • Reply

      Karla

      May 26, 2021

      You have no idea! It is such a gift to have them in our corner!

  11. Reply

    Marianne

    May 26, 2021

    Wow… 7 kids! I have my hands full with 4! I definitely respect people who have the patience and compassion to foster kids. Such an important job.

    • Reply

      Karla

      May 26, 2021

      Thank, Marianne. All parenting is SO important, but yes, there is an added element to helping young humans heal and grow.

  12. Reply

    Lisa Manderino

    May 25, 2021

    You are awesome! This year has been so crazy. You are a tough women raising great kids!

    • Reply

      Karla

      May 25, 2021

      Thank you, Lisa. It has been an interesting year, eh? Great kids… YES!!!

  13. Reply

    Larissa Li

    May 25, 2021

    7 kids?! OMG! You are my heroes! What a hard and so necessary job! Bless your heart ❤️. You guys have a big heart!

    • Reply

      Karla

      May 25, 2021

      Thank you, Larissa! It is a hard journey, but so joyful, too. I am a blessed mother!

  14. Reply

    Keirsten

    May 25, 2021

    Love this. I plan to adopt when I’m a little bit older. I never wanted children of my own, even as a child haha. But I did always have a desire to help children that didn’t have a great start at life. Thanks for sharing this and spreading the awareness.

    • Reply

      Karla

      May 25, 2021

      Wonderful!!!! I wish you all the best when you are ready to enter the journey.

  15. Reply

    Suz | TravelsWithSuz.com

    May 24, 2021

    I’ve always admired foster parents – it sounds so hard! My contribution to the betterment of children’s lives was as a long-time volunteer for the Girl Scouts.

    • Reply

      Karla

      May 24, 2021

      Thank you, Suz. Foster parenting IS hard… but such a blessing, too. Any kind of volunteering for kids makes for a better world!!!
      Karla

  16. Reply

    Tammy Horvath

    May 24, 2021

    Treehouse sounds amazing. I understand helping with clothing, etc., but they go above and beyond helping with drivers’ licenses and event tickets. Wow.

    • Reply

      Karla

      May 24, 2021

      Yes! I can’t begin to describe what a blessing this group (and the personal relationships I have with the staff and volunteers) has been for our family.

  17. Reply

    Terra

    May 24, 2021

    Seven kids wow! I can only imagine how busy it has been for you over the past year. And Treehouse sounds like an amazing organization.

    • Reply

      Karla

      May 24, 2021

      LOL. I’m not quite sure how we survived some of the moments during the pandemic. The real blessing was that none of us got sick. Treehouse is more than amazing!!!

  18. Reply

    Kristin Tillack

    May 24, 2021

    Oh I love Treehouse!! When we lived in Seattle, I used to donate there and did some volunteering in their store. It was such a special place!

    • Reply

      Karla

      May 24, 2021

      Yay! Where do you live now? It is amazing and we had so much fun making our video!!!!

  19. Reply

    Alicia

    May 24, 2021

    This sounds like a great organization!

    • Reply

      Karla

      May 24, 2021

      It is such a need all across the country. Sometimes I feel a bit guilty that our kids here have access to such a gift… it needs to be replicated country wide!!

  20. Reply

    Megan

    May 24, 2021

    It is so admirable when people are able to give their home and hearts to kids in need. I have quite a few friends that foster and I think it is such a beautiful thing.

    • Reply

      Karla

      May 24, 2021

      This journey is a blessing and joy. It is also messy and ugly at times!!! That’s why community is SO important!!!!

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