Why do you volunteer?
"The experience is so gratifying. It sounds kind of self-centered, but takes a lot of anxiety out of what you see on social media and in the news. It's a way that I can make this world better - at least one life a little better. And we're helping our foster families impact so many more lives. It's gratifying, anxiety-reducing, it's hard - super painful and sad to watch sometimes, but I think my heart actually got bigger. We accept those families and children in foster for who they are, without judgment. It's been so nice to make my family bigger by volunteering."

What keeps you consistent?
"The kiddos, and the foster parents - they're superheroes! It's such a tremendous show of love to take in a kid in need or kids with trauma. And once you start that, you can't go back."

What made you to choose to involve your family in volunteering?
"I thought my son would really get along with the child I support. And he does - they have a great relationship. My son lives in a privileged bubble - I wanted him to know that things happen in the world, and not everyone is like that. And he was surprised that kids might not live with their parents. He's getting a view of the real world - as hurtful as it is. But he also got a friend. They play chess."

"It's such a simple thing in life to do - and you *CAN* do it. Just showing up makes such a difference."

What else do you take away from the experience?
"It has given me a lot of perspective, and has taught me so much about how to be a better parent. How to show up, and learn more about how trauma affects the brain and body. I sympathize with and better understand children who are having development and behavioral issues. 

I involved my child because I come from a super poor country and now I live in this beautiful bubble. And it's important for me that he sees otherness here. You don't have to travel to Brazil (where she grew up) to see struggle and poverty."

What do you want people in our community to know about kids in care?
"I want people in our community to know that kids in care are awesome - and they need love and attention.

When I started volunteering, I was shocked to learn that it's an issue here - that our little community has so many kids in need - of just a bed if they're suddenly displaced."

"And even with all the trauma they go through, they have a lack of connectedness that is so easy to fill. There are kids in our community that need you - even if it's just a couple hours a week. Anyone can volunteer and step in to give kids in care a sense of belonging and normalcy. You can do such little things - like making sure they have food when they're hungry, or knowing they can count on someone - and what that does for their brain, allows them to let their guard down some, and just be a kid."

Anita and Andy have been foster parents for over 22 years Their experiences and insights are invaluable to Olympic Angels and anyone wanting to learn more about or positively impact the lives of children and youth in foster care on the Olympic Peninsula.

Their family's Love Box has seven volunteers that make weekly meals, help move furniture when kids move in, throw several birthday celebrations every year, and the cakes - oh, the CAKES! 
There are also two Dare to Dream volunteers that offer regular direct support and guidance to two of the teens in their home. 

Here is what they had to say...

What do you wish people knew about foster care?
Andy: That there’s a need. There’s not enough foster parents and there’s a ton of kids. And local kids can’t stay local if there’s not a local family. Which means the kids are going into foster care in the next home that’s open.

We have a situation* where a kid is in Hoquiam, and sister is here. They facilitate a visit every weekend, which means a transportation person and supervisor drives to pick up brother, then comes here (to Port Townsend), picks up sister and then drives both kids on to Sequim for a visit and goes back to Hoquiam (3+ hours one way) - every weekend. And sister has to wait a whole week before she gets to see her little brother, and she absolutely loves to be with her brother.
Anita: We have started to facilitate overnight sibling visits (at Anita & Andy's house) which is something we really pushed for.
*Identifying information has been changed but distances are real.

Anita: I want people to know it is such an incredible gift to whoever does foster care. Because what you learn from the children that are in your care is something that you can’t really put words to. It just is one of those things that when you bring a stranger into your home, you realize that the stranger that’s coming to your home - you’re just as much of a stranger to them. And then learning about one another and that availability to open your heart and soul and mind to the different ways kids are raised, what the believe in, what they’re used to - I think it’s such a gift. The amount of love in the new relationships that we have gained through our 22 years of foster care is amazing.

Tell me what life looked like before you had a Love Box vs life after a Love Box in your life.
Anita: Before we had our Love Box, Andy and I were slimming down - we were not going to do foster care anymore. We were going to retire our license because it just got too busy - too much. We were both working and the transportation to here to there, the court reports - everything - all the little things we had to do for court and the social workers…was too much. Integrating the children into their family and back into reunification - it was just getting too busy. But when Love Box was introduced to us there were all these things that gifted us time.
Andy: It was…like the allies coming up over the hill 😅 - just when you think you’re not going to make it anymore. They were a group of absolutely wonderful people with the same goal in mind - and they seem to be able to read us like a book. Just when you’re about to ask for something, they mention it - it’s magical, and it’s a huge relief. It’s such a relief and reassurance and support and it feels like our second wind. We have a different fervor about what we’re doing and we see the kids pick up and bounce - and they’re more excited about things. They excited to see their mentors and to watching someone have a birthday and they can’t wait for their birthday celebration come around. It’s everything - it’s a complete difference. For people that are thinking about foster care - it’s a whole new ballgame if the Angels are involved with your family. For families that have their own (biological) kids too - its the same thing. There’s not a kid that’s left unassisted or unaided - it’s absolutely wonderful.

If you do ever decide to stop fostering, what do you think  will need to happen to support kids in our area?
Anita: Our kids don’t go away - this is still their home. And we have a good 16-18 kids that come home every holiday.
How many kids have come through your home?
Anita: It is very close to 100 - this last year, we’ve probably hit 100 kids who have come and gone, and come back again.

Why do you think it’s been so many?
Anita: I think it’s definitely drugs and alcohol, and unfortunately the lack of mental health support in our community and in our society. In order for some people to get help, they have to go to jail or lose their kids before they get the help that they need. And that puts so much more on the system.
Andy: I think it’s how you were raised - because there’s no handbook on how to be a good parent. So all you have when you’re ready to suddenly there’s a child in your life, and all you know is how you were raised - and now you’re going to do the same thing all over again. Some people did not have good childhoods - and it certainly doesn’t help them on how to be happy and raise a happy, healthy child. It’s hard for people to pick it up and figure it out. That’s a big part of it - not knowing how to be a good parent. And once you’re involved with Protective Services - it’s “these are the things you have to do to show you can be a good parent so you can have your child back.”
Anita: Our society has built such a circle of “it’s all about me” but I think that putting a child before your own needs sometimes gets forgotten - especially  when drugs and alcohol are affecting your life.

We’ve had kids who have come into our lives early in our (fostering) career, and those kids have had kid that have gotten taken from them. The first thing out of their mouths is “can you place them with Andy and Anita?” And that feels like one of those heartfelt feelings that we did something right somewhere - we planted something somewhere.
The system is just so overwrought - there’s just not enough people out there to support it.

What do you think it will actually take to make a change for kids in the foster care community?
Anita: I think that it’s awareness and putting it out there that kids are so vulnerable. I know there’s a lot of people out there that talk about collecting coats or shoes for foster kids, but that’s not enough. There needs to be that awareness out there that kids need more. 
Andy: And maybe the awareness part is that there needs to be more support in going out into the community - to say “there’s a desperate need for foster families!” If there were more support to the families that are struggling, there would be fewer children in foster care.

Andy: We’ve always thought about not only the kids that come into care with us, but their parents too. Everybody can make a mistake and we think about their plight and what got them into this situation and hoping that they’re getting the support they need so they can get their child back at home and carry on with their life. We’ve actually been kind of successful at supporting parents getting their kids back. And that’s been rewarding because we’re often thought of on the other side of things from the parents.

Anita: We continue to grow family members - they’re everywhere. We have grown such an amazing family through foster care.

Andy: We’ve been able to be an unconventional foster home. You can be a foster family and go by the book and make sure that every penny you ever spend is reimbursed by the state - but we’ve been 180 (degrees different) of that where we take care of kids and their situation. And if its assisting parents, that’s okay too.

Anita: Help rehabilitate those family ties - because they’re the most important things in the world.
The reason for being foster parents was not to make a family - the reason we became foster parents was to grow a child.
Anita: The kids always come first - no matter what. What is best for the kids comes first. We have a bowl of mixed nuts, but it’s been a magical journey - it really has!

Our dream when we do retire is to have the biggest foster family reunion. They walk back into our lives again like nothing has ever changed. It’s nice to be able to hold that pillar for them so that they know that there’s always an opportunity to find us and know where a foundation is. Somewhere they can trust.

...they make BIG things happen! 
Remember that stretch of hot weather we had in June? Well, the week before the heat dome descended, Love Box members Jason & Shelli of Morningstar Services rallied 6 volunteers to spend 4 days fixing a roof for a deserving foster family in Port Angeles.
This foster family has cared for 70 children!
70 CHILDREN - teenagers, mostly.
Through deeper questions, it came up that a storm several weeks prior had badly damaged the roof. Buckets were catching water while they saved for repairs and waited for drier weather to tackle the project.

Volunteers Shelli & Jason, their teenage son, the foster family and friends joined together to see this project through, even when it got much more involved than expected. And did we mention the HEAT?

Thomas Building Center donated materials, MorningStar Services donated professional services and expertise, and volunteers donated an extraordinary amount of time. Love Box Volunteers and their friend & family felt empowered to make a difference and took the radical initiative to strengthen the roof above another family's head. This is what community-supported foster care looks like!

1. How did the roofing project happen? How did you discover this need, and how did you figure out how to pull it all off?! 
Our Love Box group had been through a placement change, so we “followed” our boys to a new foster family. This family has been faithfully doing foster care work for years but had never heard of Olympic Angels. Our Love Box Leader reached out to them to see how we could support them and one thing they mentioned was that their roof was leaking into the bedrooms and desperately needed to be replaced. 

This was brought up at our next meeting, where two of our gentlemen members knew all about roofing! These two awesome guys (Cliff and Jason, my husband) talked it out, while another member (Quinn) offered to get the supplies at discounted rates. The only real difficulty was timing; you need a good week of dry weather, so the project had to be in the planning stage until summer came. Other generous people in the group gave financially so the final roof was definitely a team effort. Lastly, we had friends and family who wanted to assist, which was a huge help.  

2. How has being a part of a Love Box changed your life?  
Jason and I (Shelli) have done foster care in the past and for various reasons have chosen not to be licensed anymore. However, we both have a huge desire to help these kids and give them what love we can. (We’re Christians, so we just want to be like Jesus!)  

Being in the Love Box has been such a blessing because we’ve been able to give and help without feeling overwhelmed. Most people can’t do foster care…it’s just too huge a commitment. But being in a Love Box is a fantastic way to collaborate with others to make a positive impact. 

3. What sort of difference do you think it made for the family? Imagining having a load like that literally lifted off their shoulders, really enabling them to focus on parenting their kids even more - is just amazing!  
The parents of the family were so grateful. Because they both worked and fostered numerous teens with hectic schedules, I’m sure they were thankful for just someone to take care of this for them. From our experience with foster parenting, we knew that often projects like these were difficult financially and moreover, just time-consuming and mental-energy sapping. I hope that we lightened their burden so they had one less thing to worry about! 

4. What is your relationship like with the other Love Box members? 
They are simply wonderful! We truly enjoy the meetings held at Quinn’s DW (the name of her house!). I think we all share the same goal: to love these kids and give them all we can. It’s a very caring, fun-loving group. Most of us share the same faith, too. 

5. What is your relationship like with the kids you support?  
The kids we did support have been re-unified with a parent and have moved out of the area. That is bittersweet, for sure. Most of the team members had spent time with them and taken them on outings, had them over, or had filled their love boxes with special things (that was our sweet Patty). I personally met with them to tutor them, and we had such fun! These kids are still on our hearts, and we’re thinking of ways to stay in touch with them. 
But for now, we’re all looking forward to a new family to help! 

Beau has our hearts.

He's a Love Box leader. A Love Box recipient. He is a donor. He's a single foster parent with a youth in his home that is also in the Dare to Dream Program. He also is an educator locally and at the national level of Angels. Beau is all about showing kids that they are held in community and seen for who they are. 

As WA State moves to targeted recruitment of foster parents, we wanted to better understand what kids that identify as LGBTQ+ need to thrive. Beau sat down with us this month to talk about all things LGBTQ+ and foster care.

Thank you, Beau!

​Can a LGBTQ+ person/family foster?
LGBTQ+ folks can absolutely foster! Before I went through my own foster licensing I was worried that being trans would prevent me from getting licensed, but my queer identity was never a concern. In fact, Washington State has strict standards for folks who are getting licensed - all foster parents must be open to LGBTQ+ youth in their care, and folks can’t get licensed if they can’t promise that they would support every child. From my own perspective, because LGBTQ+ youth are over-represented in the population of kids in foster care, it is quite possibly advantageous to have more queer foster parents!
 
What are the benefits of matching a youth that identifies as LGBTQ+ with an ally or LGBTQ+ family or mentor?
LGBTQ+ youth experience high rates of bullying and rejection by peers and adults, and the stress of harassment and discrimination can lead to depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts and attempts. They thrive when they are supported, treated with compassion and understanding, and can see their futures in the adults around them. Feeling isolated and alone is a common challenge for LGBTQ+ youth, along with lacking healthy adult role models who share their identities or with whom they can share their experiences. If a youth in foster care is matched with someone who at least has some understanding and will dive into talking about gender and sexuality with them, it is truly life changing. If they share a queer identity, it gives that youth a vision of what adulthood could look like, when before they may have never had the opportunity to picture their lives.
    
Tell us about the training you did for National, and what was hoped to achieve through it?
I led a conversation around gender and sexuality, the statistics and composition of children and youth in foster care who carry LGBTQ+ identities, and best practices for supporting queer youth with National Angels chapters around the country. One of my greatest passions in life is ensuring that we meet youth where they are at and support them through their identity development, and I know that gender and sexuality is one of those areas that hasn’t been taught well or thoroughly so many folks come into these conversations without the tools they need. It’s very important that we learn the language so that we can be the best mentors and advocates that we can possibly be. My hope is that each Angels chapter is able to take learnings from this session back to their communities so they can learn their local resources and expand their volunteer trainings to fit their communities.
 
How do LGBTQ+ statistics relate to foster care?
LGBTQ+ youth are over-represented in the foster community- meaning that in the general youth population you expect 11% to identify as LGBTQ+ but that number is 30% for youth in foster care. Additionally, one study in New York found that 78 percent of LGBTQ youth were removed or ran away from foster homes because of the hostilities they faced, and 56 percent chose to live on the street–rather than in a foster care placement–because they felt safer there. It is vital in the foster care community to understand our over-representations - on race, on ability, on sexuality and gender, etc - and to equip ourselves with the tools necessary to meet each child and youth with competence and compassion.
 
What do you want people to know about specific to LGBTQ+ & foster care?
Learning the language around gender, sexuality, and pronouns might feel a bit overwhelming. It is a fair bit to learn, and can take some re-training of our brain to stop making assumptions on a variety of levels and- it. is. worth. it. The relationships and trust you will build by approaching this with humility and curiosity will pay you back 100x.

When Love Box volunteer, Caley, was matched with brothers Josh & Jacob,* she committed to journey alongside them, no matter where the foster system took them. 

Going into this role, here is what Caley didn't know: 

• She didn't know that the boys would have to move homes, changing towns twice.
• She didn't know if each new placement would accept her. 
• She didn't know if the boys' biological family would view her as a help or a threat. She had no control over how she was perceived. 

Foster care is often full of unknowns and things beyond our control. What Caley could control, was her ability to be steadfast, patient, and honor everyone with her words and actions. As the boys packed their things, yet again, Caley wrote a letter for the DCYF social worker to give to the new foster parents. And then she held her breath...

I'm so happy to tell you that the foster family welcomed Caley and the Love Box. The foster mother included Caley fully on the team for the boys and kept her connected, despite the obstacles. 

This month Caley moved these boys home with some of their biological family for the first time in a long time. As life would have it, they are going to live on the other side of the water, close to where Caley has found a new job and home for Scruff & herself. She already has the bunk beds waiting. 

Caley is a Love Box leader. Behind her is the Love Box team. Behind each of her actions, each of her offerings of meals, gifts, and time, is a robust Love Box of 8 additional committed folks. She truly could not have done this without Quinn & her mom Christy, couples Leigh & Cliff, Shelli & Jason, Patty & dear Melissa. Caley begins her update emails with, "Hey Love Box Family!" This group was pieced together because of their common heart to serve children in the foster care system well. Most didn't know each other prior to saying "yes" to this adventure together. But they have cooked, babysat, tutored, driven to family visitations, celebrated and grieved together. This is what community does for its children.

Interview with Caley, World Changer & Love Box Leader

What do you wish people knew about foster care? 
How big the need is for them to be involved in some way. There is room for everyone to be a part of the village of support, to support the kids, the foster parents, and the biological families. 

What have you been able to do for the boys in your Love Box family? 
I am able to be a consistent adult that loves them and is there for them regardless of where they go. I think for them, as they’ve moved through three different homes, they always knew I was there and I was always going to be there. It gives them a person to trust who wants to be there, who isn’t paid to be there. I’m not a service. I’m an adult who loves them. 

How were you received by others?  
I think this is an important part of the story to share. Once their social worker at DCYF was able to understand that our purpose was to love these boys and stay present in their lives, it lightened the load for everyone.

We were able to help with their visitation with their parent by transporting the boys to Seattle for visits every weekend.

Their parent was able to see them in their own home. They didn’t have to come to a hotel to see them which was better for everyone. For the boys, this was a real visit with family. It was fun. We got snacks, ice cream, listened to music on the way. We had fun with it. 

What else? 
I want to be a foster parent one day. This has helped me see that I had a little more heart change and growth to do before I can fully foster successfully. By successfully, I mean I have the goal of keeping siblings together until permanency (reunification with family or adoption) is reached. I wouldn't want to have children moved from my home or separated because I wasn't ready to do the work on my end. This experience is helping to get me ready.  

What have you personally gotten out of the experience of volunteering as a Love Box Leader?  

I have grown so much in my understanding, empathy, and love towards all the parties involved. Everyone has a different story of how they got to where they are, and we all want the best for the boys. 

The perspectives are very different (various foster parents and biological family, social workers, and Love Box members), and I don't agree with some of them, but everyone is coming from a good place. I have learned that there are so many different ways to show love.

*names changed to protect privacy​

Volunteers Calah & Andrew introduced themselves to their Love Box family  with a letter. It was during the pandemic, after all, and the Love Box had been matched and trained virtually.  Andrew and Calah gave this couple what we share with you now: a cheat sheet to some Olympic Peninsula Family Adventures. This wisdom was hard won and collected among their friends, each sharing with the other what they had learned about how to have a good time, for a little bit of money while raising little people in a very wet and often chilly corner of the world. 

The foster family that Calah & Andrew were matched with were very new. New to fostering. New to Port Townsend. New to parenting in general. Soon after being licensed, they were matched in the Love Box program, just as they brought two children into their home. 

Here's the letter Andrew & Calah crafted. We hope you find some inspiration for your adventures with the families you serve, your grandchildren, and any young people in your life!

Welcome
Let us introduce ourselves, we are Calah and Andrew, members of your Love Box team.  We moved to PT when our son was 3 and our daughter was a baby. Our son is now 16 and our daughter 13.   Our families of origin are in New England, so we had to figure things out and build our own support network in Port Townsend.  We have put together a guide of places, activities, and other things that we have learned along the way. Hopefully a few of these things will be helpful for you.

Prepared for Adventure
One of the things we learned from a local nanny was to carry an adventure “Go Bag”.   She always had a backpack with everything needed for adventure in Port Townsend.  We tried to replicate it with our own.  Here are a few things that we carried in it:

• Ouch pouch/boo boo kit (Small first aid kit, mostly any size and type of band-aid)
• Pocket knife
• Foldable kite with string (always a breeze in PT)
• Calories (bars, jellybeans, etc…  you never know where a kiddo may bonk and need an incentive to continue walking)
• Rope (parachute cord works well) You can use this to construct forts, pull driftwood boots, tie things to the backpack for transport home, and many other things.
• Flashlights (exploring bunkers, under troll bridges, or other dark spots of curiosity)
• A couple of large Ziploc bags
• Mason jar with a mesh lid (Specimen collection)
• Umbrella
• Hand warmers
• Plastic ponchos 
• Backpacking towel
• Wet Wipes
• Hand sanitizer
• As the kids got older, we used our cell phones for Pokemon Go or for maps for geocaching in town. This was a great way to get them outside and started when they were “balking up”.
• We also pre-pack our car for adventures. We have foldable chairs, a small picnic table in a bag, beach blankets,  frisbee and a bag with napkins/camp plates/utensils on the ready for a quick dinner at the beach, etc. After COVID, you will find that PT people love their potlucks, so having a “mess kit” prepared is useful.

We’re sure that you will have ideas too, you two sound pretty outdoorsy!

Adventure Ideas

• Low tide at Chetzemoka Park.  At low tide there is an enormous sand bar at the park.  Little ones may need a piggy-back across the near shore rocks, beyond the rocks is a fantastic sandbar to explore.  Prepare to be wet and sandy.
• Fort Worden beach.  In our experience, the locals typically stay to the right of the pier (closer to town side).  There is always lots to do and explore at the beach. Older kids sometimes jump off the pier.
• Froggy Bottoms.  There is a small marsh/pond in happy valley (see map below).  In the Spring this area is full of little frogs.  The frogs are spectacularly green, brown and combinations in between. We spent hours here hunting frogs.
• Cappy’s Woods.  There is a huge track of forest that can provide hours of exploration.  Best way to access is to park at the track near Blue Heron Middle School, and walk along the track, past the soccer field behind the track and the trail entrance is on the right. 
• Campfire at the Fort Worden beach shelter.  Fort Worden’s beach shelter is for rent, but when it is not rented there is a fabulous fire circle that we have used in the past.  Bring marshmallows and have a fun roasting them and sitting by the fire.
• Explore the bunkers at Fort Worden.  It is important to bring flashlights for this adventure.  There are bunkers scattered throughout the park, and some provide excellent picnic areas from the roof.  
• Old Fort Townsend provides a different type of beach experience, and there are some great forest trails, and large sheltered grassy areas.
• Berry picking at Finnriver Farm in Chimacum.  Contact Janet at the farm to get details about the berry collective.  This is the most amazing farm in the valley with abundant blueberries and raspberries, bonus is many times there are pigs and other animals to go see while you are there.  This adventure pairs well with stopping at the Finnriver Cidery in Chimacum for wood fired pizza, lawn games and a walk in the orchard to see the geese.
• A trip to see the wild swans in Chimacum.  In the late winter/early spring flocks of swans will stop in the valley fields.  This is best seen from the car on Big Valley Road.  
• Exploring the tide pools at North Beach.  During low tide you can find all kinds of fantastic creatures in the tide pools.
• When there is snow in PT everyone goes to the hill immediately behind the High School and slides down into the play fields.  
• A trip to Hurricane Ridge to play in the snow.  You will be surprised by how many people you recognize on any given weekend in the winter at Hurricane Ridge.  This is a nearby spot to go sliding, build a snow fort, go snow showing, and learn to ski.  It is very welcoming, and there is a sweet lodge run by the national parks.  Call in the morning before you leave PT for road conditions up the mountain.  Also, the lot can fill early during peak season.  It is nice that there is a limited amount of people up there… when you have a parking spot. 
• One thing that we love in PT is a good parade.  Be ready for lots of Parades post-COVID.  There are a few that are very kiddo-centric: The Rhody Festival Pet Parade, The Rhody Festival Kid Parade, and the Halloween Costume Parade.  These are very sweet small town events.
• For the young ones, there is a Santa parade float that sometime travels through Uptown in early December in the evenings.  When we lived on Lawrence St, our little ones found it extremely exciting.
• Saturday mornings at the Farmers Market are so special.  Starting in the Spring we would bring the kiddos to the market and give them a few dollars to get a treat.  We would set them loose and rely on the community to help them. There are vendors that have watched the kids in town grow from tikes to adults.  Susan at the bratwurst stand is a treasure and she has been a rock for our kids since they could talk.  Janet at Finn River Farm used to save the “Freak of the Week” vegetable for our daughter.  She knew she liked the crazy looking things that were not all that saleable.  Heidi and John the coffee gypsies are also super great with the kids.
• Going to Velocity Coffee at the Northwest Maritime Center for a coffee and Bob’s Bagel, and letting the kids explore the piers and beach nearby.  Joe and the team are the best, and tell the story behind the coffee.  This is a great outdoor adventure with the comforts of a great coffee and treat.
• Lunch counter at Don’s Pharmacy.  When we are not in the COVID craziness, sitting down at the lunch counter at Don’s harkens back to a simpler time.  Well worth the cozy old-fashioned experience, and kiddos enjoy the classic fare.
• An atypical experience is to go explore the courthouse (Clock tower building) and enormous Post Office.  There are neat and interesting areas in each of these buildings if you go looking.
• The Jefferson County Museum downtown, who does not have fun locking their sibling in the old jail cell?  
• Local swimming spots.  Believe it or not, there are warmish spots to swim in the ocean.  Check out Linger Longer in Quilcene, or the pier and beach on Marrowstone Island.  Although the water is warm enough to swim at these locations, we totally recommend collecting a few old wet suits from Goodwill or Ebay.   This was a game changer for us, and we can provide other trip ideas that are further afield that can be transformed with an old wetsuit.  
• Illahee Preserve in the Fall when the salmon are spawning.  It is impressive to see the return of the salmon.  This is something that shouldn’t be missed.
• The flight museum at the airport.  This is recommendation from a friend, she and her daughter were pleasantly surprised when they went to this museum.  
• Sather Park with flashlights on a dark and stormy night.  This is a recommendation from a friend, we have not tried this one out, but it sounds wild and crazy!
• Larry Scott Trail, any piece of the trail is fun, especially when you are learning to bike.
• Speaking of bikes, the people at the Recyclery totally rock and they help supply people with upcycled bikes and the knowledge to keep them rolling.  They also offer ladies-only classes for bike repair, and kid safety classes.  
• Explore all the hidden paths that criss-cross town.  There is a maze of paths that criss-cross town, how many can you find? Where do they go? Can you find short cuts?
• North Beach at sunset.  This is a great way to unwind.  The kiddos can play and explore, and we can get a little peace watching the sun drop below the horizon.
• Glass beach, this adventure will require some piggy backs for little ones.  Start at North Beach, and start hiking to the left (away from Fort Worden).  There is a mythical spot where you can find sea glass.  We found a few spots, and the treasure hunt is fun.  Bald Eagles can be viewed in this area too.  Warning…as an out-and-back hike going out feels way shorter than the return trip.  Also, the hiking is difficult at high tide, so plan accordingly.
• HJ Carroll Park.  There is a lot to explore at HJ.  There is a pump track/BMX bike track for all ages, local plant gardens, disc golf, soccer and softball fields, and a stone labyrinth. If you explore beyond the labyrinth, there is a creek with a log to cross over the water and you can make boats out of found things and sail them down the current.
• PT Marine Science Center.  This is located at the pier in Fort Worden.  This is so much fun with little kiddos, they have touching tanks with all kinds of local sea life.  They also offer summer camps, and volunteer opportunities for teens.
• Cheesy breadsticks from Pan d’Amore.  I think that every PT kid has memories of cheesy breadsticks from the bakery.  For my kids, these were an after-school snack with some regularity.
• Going to the park office in Quilcene to get a permit to go cut a Christmas tree up in the forest.  Our experience with this adventure ended with a family story similar to National Lampoons.  We ended up cutting a tree that filled up most of the living room after endless driving on the forest roads.  Our friends still recommend experiencing this adventure at least once.  Pro tip: download Alltrails or Avenza which will turn your phone into a GPS unit, that way you can know where you are at when there is no signal.  Also, bring a sled for sliding in the snow.
• Taking a tour at Wilderbee Farm, cutting lavender bouquets, patting the goats and climbing on the tractors.
• Graysmarsh U-pick berries in Sequim.  This is a quote from a friend of ours, “Just being a kid in those berries and eating them until your stomach hurts is pretty much the best thing ever.  On my first visit (during raspberry season) it was the first time in my life I knew on a cellular level: there are enough berries. I can eat all I want and there will still be berries.  (That’s a really good feeling – to shed a persistent sense of scarcity.)”
• Explore the parks and trails on Indian and Marrowstone Island.  On Indian Island the trails are on the right as you are heading towards Marrowstone.
• Exploring Port Gamble is a fun afternoon and stopping at the Butcher and Baker is a great way to stay energized with some great food.  Also, there are hundreds of acres of mountain bike trails behind Port Gamble. 
• A perfect end to many adventures can be found at Elevated, but we are sure you probably already found that treasure, or the Courtyard Café with homemade marshmallows on your hot chocolate.
• Getting a slice of pizza at Water Street.  Picking up a slice of pizza and sitting in the plaza after school was one of my son’s favorite things to do when he was younger.
• Catching a movie at the Rose.  Pro-tip: try the stairs just outside the doors to the large cinema.  They lead to a hidden balcony; it makes you feel like you are the only family in the cinema.
• Take a ferry ride.  You can take a round trip ferry ride over to Coupeville.  Our kiddos used to love the excitement of sitting on the deck.
• When traveling out of town, we highly recommend audio books.  Our kids still love listening to audio books as a family when we road trip.  Our local library has audiobooks that you can download, and audible.com has almost everything for a price.  Roald Dahl’s books held the interest of ours kid when they were younger for many a trip. Rick Riordan has also been a family favorite for listening.

Structured Activities and Support

• Port Townsend has a slightly underground network of unusually talented and educated adults, many of whom gladly share their time and talents if asked. If you have a child with a particular interest, and you are looking for an adult to support it, never hesitate to ask around to find someone. For instance, we easily found an adult who was an expert in archery willing to help our daughter pursue that interest. Our son has been doing one-on-one coaching with a retired pro soccer player in town for years.( On the topic of soccer, if either of you are interested in fun adult pick-up games, there is a strong group that plays regularly when COVID isn’t an issue.)
• CedarRoot School.  This is a unique Olympic Peninsula institution.  They offer great programs.  Our daughter spent hours in the woods after school on Wednesdays learning about the local flora and fauna.  She also learned how to build a fire out of nothing in the wet woods.  After all these experiences she feels comfortable and competent in the outdoors.
• Port Townsend School of the Arts.  Our kiddos took many of the weekly classes, and loved their time making fantastic works of art.
• Northwest Maritime Center Summer sailing camps.  Our kiddos learned to sail and be safe in the water.  They have a great program at a reasonable price.  Sign-up late winter, classes fill quickly.
• Jefferson County Library children’s librarian Martha and her story times.  
• Swan School.  We are sure that you have already heard about the special love and family of Swan School, this is a great place for kids to learn more than just reading, writing and arithmetic.  Our kids have fond memories of their time at Swan.
• There is a Waldorf School in Hadlock called Sunfield, K-8. We have many friends whose children thrived there.
• If you are looking for a religious community, we found that the Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship is very welcoming. Regardless of denomination or your personal beliefs, there is a place for you.  Beau oversees the kiddo education, and he is truly a treasure.  There are few times in life that you meet someone that emotes love, safety and inclusion to little ones like Beau.  This community also provides spaces for small groups to meet.We joined a parenting covenant group when we first moved to PT.  Not only was there childcare, but we had a place to get to know other parents and share insights, successes, and failures.  This group provided a lot of support, and we are still friends to this day.  Also, this was a good place to find babysitters.
•  The Benji Project.  This is a great organization in PT that helps teens “make friends with themselves”.  They help teens navigate emotional ups and downs with greater ease by offering stress management and resiliency training using mindfulness and self-compassion.
• Twisters offers gymnastics for all ages and abilities.  Both of our kids took classes at Twisters and enjoyed their time.  They are offering a lot of support and programming for families needing extra help during school shutdowns.
• Jefferson County Soccer Club.  We have volunteered for the club for years.  If the kiddos are interested in soccer, the JCSC is a great place to start.  They are all volunteers, and are very welcoming.
• If you have a child who is interested in riding horses, Christine Headley at Heron Pond Farm and Becky Cushman at Paradigm Sporthorses both offer great programs for beginners.
• The Jefferson County Rec Center has many intro sports programs.
• There is a private swim team that usually meets at the Mountain View pool during the school year, it is a great group of coaches and kids. There are also more basic swim lessons and open swim times available at that pool (post-COVID). Many PT families venture to the Sequim Y or Bainbridge Island pool for weekend adventures in a “fancier” pool setting.​

"As I got older, I realized things I cared about from a social justice viewpoint were all related to foster care. When I learned about the Angels model it made me realize 'This is it!'"

Stephanie began as one of Olympic Angels' first volunteers. Once she was on a Love Box team and saw the impact that it made for the children and the entire family, it hit her how powerful Angels can be. "I always thought someday Angels would hire more case managers and when it happens I would love to do that part time while continuing my business. I just didn’t know it would happen so soon!" We are beyond grateful to be able to bring Stephanie onto our growing team, and be better able to serve the children on the Peninsula.  

In a conversation with Stephanie, we were able to get an inside look as to what her goals are in this new role. 

What are your top 4 skills and how do you think they will translate to this new role?
Connecting. I love connecting people. Matching mentors and volunteers with kids and families will be so rewarding. 
Teaching. I am very at home when I am teaching so I would love to teach volunteers and community members about the program and trauma-informed practices. 
Organization. I love organizing tasks like bookkeeping. There are a lot of moving parts in this program to keep organized so I am excited to dive in. 
Vulnerability. I'm comfortable talking about sensitive topics openly and encouraging vulnerability.

If you could snap your fingers, what problem in the world would you solve and why?
Inequality. If we had an equitable playing field many of the other problems in the world would start to resolve themselves.

What criteria do you use for evaluating success?
My personal success is based on my quality of life & joy. Evaluating Olympic Angels' success would be based on reaching every kid in the local foster community and doing better every year.

“I just get to be a consistent person who cares what happens to them.”

Elsa has been matched with her Dare to Dream teen for about two months but they've been connected much longer through our partner organization, Foster Supports of Jefferson County. The two have been able to create a lifelong connection that is based on consistency and safety. Our Dare to Dream program offers an opportunity to individually serve an aged-out or at-risk to age out youth in foster care. Our mentors are advocates, teachers, guides, role models, valued friends, and available resources.

We had the opportunity to share some time with Elsa and ask a few questions about her experience as a mentor and how she has been impacted. Here is what Elsa had to say: 

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME A DARE TO DREAM MENTOR?
I liked the idea of being a friend to a teen that is getting their life ready to launch.  For them there has not been much consistency with a person who has belief in them.  I am honored that they said yes to this relationship.

WHAT TYPE OF SUPPORT DO YOU PROVIDE YOUR YOUTH?
In regular meetups,  I am telling them by my actions that I follow through and think they are fun to be with.  We talk about what they want to discuss and I make sure I focus on them.  We have looked into how to apply for a job and met the personnel man at Carl’s Lumber.  We have talked a lot about school, helped them get registered and what school means to them.  I attended their IEP, met his family,  and I fed them what they wanted! 

HOW DOES BEING A MENTOR IMPACT YOUR YOUTH AND YOURSELF?
They seem to be happy when I come see them and they teach me about Magic, the Gathering.  They were quite happy to see their former speech teacher who is a friend of mine.  Being a mentor helps define our relationship, I don’t have to fix them or the system they are in…I just get to be a consistent person who cares what happens to them.

WHAT’S MOST DIFFICULT OR FRUSTRATING ABOUT BEING A MENTOR?
Trying to reach them.  They do not have minutes on their phone and they do not answer emails.  We do have a consistent meeting time at home where we both are each time. 

WHAT’S MOST REWARDING ABOUT BEING A MENTOR?
Their smile and willingness to be involved with an adult who cares.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT FOSTER CARE?
No matter what the situation is it is very tough to not have a family that you can count on to see you through life.  At 16, they have a roof over their head and love from a family member but are missing so many pieces.  They have had many extremely rough times that have left scars.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE US TO KNOW?
Foster care can provide what a person needs to grow and develop especially when the community surrounds you by guiding you through these various stages of life.  Each person in our larger community can contribute something to a foster child that completes the picture. It is not hard to love a child or teen and give yourself to see another blossom.

​

Have you ever seen ads or heard about programs that supply kids in foster care with suitcases to make it so they can move with more dignity than throwing all of their belongings in a trash bag? That's such a tangible concept to imagine - of course kids shouldn't have their things in garbage bags.

​But those ads always make us wonder "what if there were a healthy, familiar grown-up attached to that suitcase?" Isn't that what they really need? Someone consistent they can trust and who knows their story.
 
​Someone who knows what book they're on in the Wings of Fire series,
 who knows their favorite type of muffin (not blueberry, cuz mushy fruit=gross),
 someone who knows their favorite song
...someone who knows them, and will show up no matter what?

Stephanie is that person holding the suitcase.