Community Connections Partner: Foster Champs of Washington

Foster Champs of Washington is a body of individuals who believe in the importance of nurturing and advocating for foster, adoptive and kinship families. The organization helps meet the needs of children so that they can thrive in their new homes. Unlike any other agency, Foster Champs continues to serve families even after they adopt, and it serves the whole family, because its members know that foster siblings and parents need support too, and the needs of kids don’t end after they are adopted. 

Foster Champs is an all-volunteer organization where foster/adopt/kinship families support each other. Raising kids from hard places is not easy and Foster Champs volunteers understand this from firsthand experience. Through monthly meetings and special event celebrations, kids meet others in families like theirs so they don’t have to feel embarrassed about their histories or whether they are biologically related to their parents. Young adults routinely join their activities as well, so that they can see siblings who live in different homes and enjoy time with their Foster Champ friends and supporters. The organization also maintains a supply shop full of clothing, shoes, books, diapers and more, all given freely to registered families. When everyone else says they can’t help, Foster Champs asks what a family needs and then works to get those resources. 

Community Partner Testimony: “Most of the time, kids who are placed in foster care have had limited access to cultural experiences and positive family outings. Additionally, many foster, adoptive and kinship families are large in number, so going out together to performances can be cost prohibitive. Having access to sponsored Symphony tickets allows families to experience an easy-to-plan and attainable night or afternoon out together, building memories. One Foster Champs kid said that she had no interest in cultural activities until an opportunity arose to attend a Star Wars performance by the Seattle Symphony.”  

Foster Champs of Washington is one of more than 90 partners in the Seattle Symphony’s Community Connections program, which provides complimentary tickets to nonprofit organizations across the Puget Sound region. 

Coming to see a show December 6–15? Join the Seattle Symphony for 10 Days of Giving, during which we collect new, unwrapped toys in support of the clients served by Foster Champs of Washington and Mary’s Place! Collection bins will be accessible during normal business hours and during the run of each concert program. Visit marysplaceseattle.org and fosterchampswa.com for more information and suggested drive items.