Comforting Local Foster Kids In Transition

As I navigated the maze of cubicles hung with beautiful quilts, I donned a black apron embroidered with “Office Mom” in purple.

- Molly Steere

Jennifer Thomason, Volunteer Coordinator, led me to the lunch room of DSHS’s Children’s Administration, and introduced me to three waiting children.

The oldest, a teenage girl, was on the couch reading a book of poetry she had recently checked out from the library. The two younger kids were quietly coloring. I sat at the table and casually engaged the three siblings in conversation while I colored. We talked about school, poetry and friends.

We didn’t talk about why they were there.

All three kids were smart, friendly and polite. Under different circumstances, I would never know that their lives had been turned upside down that morning when they were taken away from their mom due to neglect or abuse. It was my first day volunteering for the Office Moms and Dads program and meeting kids entering the foster system.

I love kids. I am a mom, I usually have a “bonus kid” (or three) running around the house, and I try to keep an eye out for ways to help local children in need. Last year, when a friend told me about the Office Moms and Dads (OMD) program, I knew it would be a great fit for me.

The Wenatchee branch of the OMD program was introduced in 2015 and currently has 24 approved (but only six to seven active) volunteers who are called in to care for, feed and entertain children who have recently been removed from their homes.