For most of us, family is the center of our lives. They’re the people who care about us and know us best. Ryan is a teenager who lost both his parents in less than two years. Ryan also has Down syndrome. This kind of loss is devastating, of course. Ryan’s relatives were not able to…
Lynne Skyrme was raised to care Growing up in a family that fostered children taught Lynne the value of caring for others Lynne joined the Wayfinder Family Services’ Community Council one year ago. Her family history of fostering children and all that Wayfinder does within the community inspired her to get involved. She loves working…
Annie Narayan joined Wayfinder’s Community Council in January 2024, but her involvement with the organization began more than five years earlier when she and her husband, Shawn, decided to become foster parents. “We looked at different agencies, and we felt like Wayfinder was the best fit,” she says. “We felt we would get the most…
“Love. That’s all Alan wanted,” says Marie, who decided to adopt Alan when he was bedridden in a total-care medical facility. Then, medical professionals told Marie that Alan, age 6, had profound disabilities and cerebral palsy. He would never be able to talk or walk. He harmed himself by hitting his head. What Marie saw…
Rebeca and her husband, Lee, fostered and adopted two children. These are her tips for current and prospective foster or adoptive parents. You can read their full story here. 1. If you are fostering or adopting siblings, see them as individuals instead of as a set. Get to know what each of them needs. 2….
“My experiences pre-and post-adoption have, without a doubt, led to my career as a social worker today,” says Nick, a Wayfinder family finding social worker. When he was 2 years old, his biological parents left their apartment and never returned, abandoning him and his five older siblings. Nick entered foster care. When he was 3…
Secretary, Board of Directors and Wayfinder Community Council member “All children deserve to be in a safe, loving home” says Erica Fernandez. This belief drives her ongoing commitment to Wayfinder. Erica has a demanding job as a senior vice president and region manager for California Bank & Trust in Northern California, plus two sons of…
John Nicolaus came to Wayfinder for the landscaping and stayed for the children. Six years ago, Wayfinder received a grant to upgrade the exterior of its Citrus Heights office to improve access for people with disabilities. “Every ADA upgrade requires a landscape architect to fix it up at the end after the sidewalks have been…
Professionally, Jean Minton is Sutter Health’s neuroscience service line executive. Personally she is passionate about helping children in foster care find their forever families. As a Peace Corps volunteer in Malawi during the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Jean witnessed the plight of orphaned children whose parents had died of AIDS. After returning to the…
Camille is 16 years old. She had a shocking 26 foster family placements over 10 years. A little more than a year ago, Camille’s case came to Wayfinder—changing the trajectory of her life forever. In 2012, Camille and her younger sisters, Maya, age 3, and Dani, age 1, were removed from their home due to…
