I was up next for an intake, it was “law enforcement waiting,” so I grabbed my bag and went! I was greeted by a sibling set whose mother had been taken to jail. I looked down at the kids and said “Mommy has to get better, so you guys are coming with me.”
This week, like many other weeks, one volunteer found herself holding a days-old baby for a few hours at the child welfare office. Feeling all the feels that come with that experience – joy, fullness, sadness, helplessness, wonderment and despair – all very much at once, she did what came naturally to her…but what affect could that eventually have?
During our November board meeting, the question was posed: what are you most proud of in the last decade? My mind swirled. How can I pick one thing? The word fullness came to mind.
I have four kids in elementary school this year. Do you know how much I spent on school supplies? It was… alarming, and just a tad overwhelming to fulfill the lists for each class.
The Department of Children, Youth, and Families office in downtown Vancouver has narrow hallways and a lot of closed doors. Big decisions are made in these rooms.
I’m sitting at gymnastics watching my Kindergartner keep up with a class of 3rd and 4th graders. He’s easily a foot and a half shorter and not nearly as polished, but the boy can run circles around them.
We’re half way through Foster Care Awareness Month, but are we really more aware? We asked a child welfare worker to share an insider’s perspective about the pressures of social work, the daily impossible heartache, and what a simple interaction with an Office Mom did to make it feel a little more bearable.
March is Social Worker Appreciation month so it’s fitting that I take a moment to explain one of our core Values. We value social workers. That’s the long and short of it. When we began this little nonprofit adventure over five years ago, we knew that honoring the difficult work that social workers do would be an integral part of our mission.
With five years under our belt, 2018 was all about building sustainability. Our board knew that Office Moms & Dads needed stewardship to magnify its impact and continue helping children for years to come; and so the focus shifted from growing by desire to growing by design.
Imagine being a child whose family is in trauma. You’ve just been pulled out of your home. You’re sitting in an office wondering what’s going to happen to you. You’re scared and upset. Whatever has just gone on, you just want to go home.
