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 with like-minded people on the Community Council. They share a common thread: how can we make this organization successful so that more families and more kids can live in safe and loving homes?
Helping others is a family value for Lynne. Growing up, her parents were foster parents, as were many of their friends. Most of the children they fostered were newborn babies. “It was just what we did. We were always surrounded by babies. We knew we were the passing point for the life they were meant to live. We were here to provide a safe and loving home until the children could be placed with their permanent adoptive families.”
She shares one story that affected her deeply. “There was one child whose mother dropped her son off with us because she knew she couldn’t give him the life she wanted him to have.”
Lynne was 5 or 6 at the time and can remember how emotional that moment was. Then she saw the family that adopted him and how much they wanted and loved him. And that experience stayed with her.
So Lynne learned early about service and caring for little ones. Being a foster family was who her family was. “When you’re growing up, you take a good and stable family for granted. But I feel really blessed that I had one.”
Lynne is marketing program manager at VSP. And at work or in her private life, she’s driven by helping people and making life better for them. After a childhood in a family that fostered so many children, she became a big sister for Big Brothers Big Sisters. And she’s also been an informal mentor to other young people.
“I feel like people have helped me along the way, so if I can help, I’ll always take the call. I’ll always help out.”
She says, “If you’re thinking about fostering or you know someone who’s not in a good place, look up Wayfinder and talk to them, because they really care.”
If you’d like to learn more about volunteering with Wayfinder Family Services, please call Alexa Adams at 415-297-6203 or email at aadams@wayfinderfamily.org.
If you’d like to learn more about becoming a foster parent, you can visit this page.
September 30, 2024