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...

At first glance, Esmeralda Huerta seems like a typical 30-something Californian. When I first met her, I was struck by her quiet confidence. She is beautiful, but unassuming. Reserved, but flashes a wide smile that lights up the room. Esmeralda lives in the greater Sacramento area with her husband and pre-teen son. She enjoys reading, drinking coffee and playing board games. She spends time volunt...

“When I was going through so many placements, failing in school and left in the children's shelter for 5 months, I never thought I was going to leave. The only person that visited me was my CASA. She made me feel better every time I would see her. Having a CASA means someone will always have your back, they will not judge you. They just show up. CASA gave me hope. My CASA helped build a team at sc...

When my kids were 4 and 7 years old, we moved to the country. It was a new, cool experience as open land, well water and snow days became the new normal. New schools, new restaurants and, of course, new people to meet filled us with excitement. But something better happened...I