Meet Defending the Cause board member Sandy Runner! Sandy and her husband Micah have been married for 20 years and have 3 children. From family bike rides to board games to community service projects, the Runner family can often be found engaging in activities together. “We are excited about what our kids enjoy and want to participate in their lives. I make their lives just as important as my own....

Meet Nicole - Nicole's journey to becoming a difference maker began when she witnessed an injustice a family member endured with the social services system. Nicole knew then that she wanted to be part of the solution and bring justice to all families.

Now, Nicole works to reunify and stabilize families as the African American Special Skills Reunification Social Worker. ⁣ ⁣Nicole acknowledges that...

In March 2019, Susan and Mitchell Patterson* became approved as resource parents. The couple didn't have any children and their hope was to foster and adopt one child or a sibling set of two, up to the age of six. Less than two weeks after being approved, the couple ended up saying yes to 14-year-old Margaret*. Their Koinonia Social Worker had spent two months working with Margaret in her emergenc...

Talking with Owen was like a breath of fresh air.  Her eyes radiated love, her joy was evident and unhindered.  As I listened to her story of foster to adoption, one thing became very clear to me. While there is great discomfort in the waiting and in the uncertainty within this process, we are not the only ones waiting. There are too many children waiting for our help. In Owen’s case, a 3-day-old...

Bryce, a sweet 9 year-old boy who was recently placed in foster care, just moved to a new area with his foster mom and her family.  Being the “new kid” in school caused the insecurity he was already feeling to grow.  To complicate things, when Bryce arrived at his new school, he learned there was an overnight field trip scheduled the very next week.  Wanting to get to know his new classmates bette...

When Sarah* saw the two lines on the pregnancy test, she felt ill. During the 4 months she had lived with her boyfriend, they had not made plans for a future together. Although he had a stable job and was much older that she, Sarah wasn’t sure he even wanted children or a long-term relationship with her. At age 22 with only a minimum wage restaurant job, Sarah was grateful to be living rent-free i...

Blossom Place first opened it's doors to young women aging out of the foster care system who are in need of housing, support and resources 5 years ago. After learning about our mission, a representative from the Soroptimists International of the American River group invited us to share at one of their meetings. Our initial contact began in the back room of a Mexican restaurant in Auburn and has gr...

As I was beginning my career as a Marriage and Family Therapist, I had the opportunity to work as an intern with families who had adopted from foster care. Through this experience, I learned stories and tools that are vitally important when caring for kids with a history of trauma and neglect. When my husband Scott and I were ready to build our own family, God made it clear that he wanted us to al...