The Compelled to Care team is made up of people who are passionate about foster, adoptive and kinship families because each of them have been personally involved with the foster care system and caring for the vulnerable in different capacities.
The Compelled to Care team is made up of people who are passionate about foster, adoptive and kinship families because each of them have been personally involved with the foster care system and caring for the vulnerable in different capacities.
The Compelled to Care team is made up of people who are passionate about foster, adoptive and kinship families because each of them have been personally involved with the foster care system and caring for the vulnerable in different capacities.
The Compelled to Care team is made up of people who are passionate about foster, adoptive and kinship families because each of them have been personally involved with the foster care system and caring for the vulnerable in different capacities.
The Compelled to Care team is made up of people who are passionate about foster, adoptive and kinship families because each of them have been personally involved with the foster care system and caring for the vulnerable in different capacities.
SPEAKERS
SPEAKERS
Compelled to Care is a multi-faceted ministry that was birthed by people who wanted a safe place to be with other people who know what it means to care for kids from hard places. We are less of a support group and more of a community full of imperfect people moving forward as we live out the gospel and care for the vulnerable.
Compelled to Care is a multi-faceted ministry that was birthed by people who wanted a safe place to be with other people who know what it means to care for kids from hard places. We are less of a support group and more of a community full of imperfect people moving forward as we live out the gospel and care for the vulnerable.
Compelled to Care is a multi-faceted ministry that was birthed by people who wanted a safe place to be with other people who know what it means to care for kids from hard places. We are less of a support group and more of a community full of imperfect people moving forward as we live out the gospel and care for the vulnerable.
Compelled to Care is a multi-faceted ministry that was birthed by people who wanted a safe place to be with other people who know what it means to care for kids from hard places. We are less of a support group and more of a community full of imperfect people moving forward as we live out the gospel and care for the vulnerable.
Compelled to Care is a multi-faceted ministry that was birthed by people who wanted a safe place to be with other people who know what it means to care for kids from hard places. We are less of a support group and more of a community full of imperfect people moving forward as we live out the gospel and care for the vulnerable.
SPEAKERS
SPEAKERS
Everyone wants to serve foster kids, but sometimes it's hard to know how. There are many ways to serve in Compelled to Care. You can serve at large events, write encouraging cards or even help organize gift drives for foster kids and help organize donations.
Everyone wants to serve foster kids, but sometimes it's hard to know how. There are many ways to serve in Compelled to Care. You can serve at large events, write encouraging cards or even help organize gift drives for foster kids and help organize donations.
Compelled to Care is a multi-faceted ministry that was birthed by people who wanted a safe place to be with other people who know what it means to care for kids from hard places. We are less of a support group and more of a community full of imperfect people moving forward as we live out the gospel and care for the vulnerable.
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Compelled to Care family memberships are for current foster, adoptive and kinship families who want a higher level of support and community engagement. Memberships are open to families from any county.
FAMILY MEMBERSHIP
Compelled to Care supports foster, adoptive and kinship families through events, monthly dinners, parent meet-ups, summer playdates, resources, training and online support.
We have many free events, but here is what we offer for members...
WHAT'S INCLUDED?
FAMILY DINNERS
Family Dinners are a time to get-together with other current foster, adoptive and kinship families who "get it." These dinners include dinner and childcare. This is a time for parents to connect over a meal and listen to an inspiring speaker and earn training hours. Youth and kids are served a kid friendly meal in their classroom followed by a fun lesson. Learn more
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Here's the Family Dinner and event schedule:
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SEPTEMBER 12 - Family Dinner. Open to current foster, adoptive & kinship families, no membership required for the September dinner. After being apart all summer we want ample time to catch up so there will not be a speaker or training. Good to know - The first dinner your family attends is free - even if it's not in September. If you want to continue to attend we ask that you register for a membership. Scholarships are available upon request.​
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OCTOBER 10 - Family Dinner. Speaker: Brenda Millin is a licensed clinical social worker, LICSW, with 25 years of experience. For the past 15 years she has provided individual and family therapy to children in the school setting. It is within that context that she has ample experience advocating and supporting families through the IEP process. She will share her experience and knowledge of state laws so that parents will be equipped to advocate for their kids through the IEP process. - Member Only Event
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NOVEMBER 10 - Family Dinner. Speaker: Cathy Carlson, certified life coach and mother of 11 kids (9 adopted) will help us plan for self-care through the holidays and coming year through a hands-on workshop using the "Wheel of Life" method. Having "balance" means something different for everyone. This exercise raises your awareness of how much energy you give to different areas and helps you to plan a life that is more satisfying and closer to your definition of balance. It also helps clarify priorities for goal-setting. Learn more about Cathy. - Member Only Event
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DECEMBER 12 - Gingerbread BINGO Bash - Member Only Event
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DECEMBER - TBD - Holiday Gift Giveaway - Member Only Event
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JANUARY 9 - Family Dinner. Speaker: Angela Howard, Mental Health Advocate and owner of Angela Howard Consulting LLC, will be sharing about the tension between hope and disappointment. Are you navigating the gap between what is and what you had hoped for? Disappointment can touch every part of our lives—whether it's in your role as a foster parent, in relationships, unfulfilled dreams, or even in your walk with God. It can shake our hope for the future. In this session, Angela Howard shares her personal journey of living in the tension between hope and heartache, as she faced the realities of her husband’s mental illness and the challenges of parenting through trauma. No matter what you’re facing today, there is
hope for tomorrow. Learn more about Angela. - Member Only Event
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FEBRUARY 13 - Family Dinner. Speakers: David and Cathy Carlson, certified life coaches and adoptive parents of 11 kids (9 adopted) will be speaking on prioritizing your marriage, communication, expectations and keeping the spark alive while raising kids - especially those that come from a trauma background. - Member Only Event
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MARCH 13 - Family Dinner- Speaker: Jennifer Dunlap, Adoptions Supervisor, DCYF Region 6 and former foster parent, will be sharing about how adoption through the foster care system works, navigating adoption support and the difference between adoption and guardianship. - Member Only Event
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APRIL 10 - Family Dinner - Speaker: Miriam Norman, Pierce County Deputy Prosecutor in the Vehicle Crimes and Complex Crimes Unit with 17 years of experience and foster/adoptive mom will be sharing her knowledge. As foster parents we understand that some of our youth and kids have been exposed to drugs, lived in environments where drug use was normalized or may experiment themselves. Miriam will be sharing about recognizing signs of addiction, drug categories and detecting impairment. - Member Only Event
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MAY 8 - Family Dinner - Speaker: Maddie Graves-Wilson, understands the foster care journey from the lens of both a foster parent and a social worker. She is a leader who has led at the executive level in the nonprofit sphere, is a supervisor of Afterhours in Region 6. She is missional and mindful in her approach to her life and work. She will help us ask ourselves what brought us to the field of foster care, what motivates us now and what will keep us serving the vulnerable in this field. - Member Only Event​
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JUNE 12 - Family Dinner - Speaker: Ashley Wambach, Executive Director of Compelled to Care and mother of 7 (5 adopted - 4 out of foster care), will bring a biblical perspective to parenting in the field of foster care, adoption and kinship care. - Member Only Event
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JULY 17 - Summer Family BBQ
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AUGUST 21 - Back-to-School Giveaway & Family BBQ
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*A separate registration for each event is required the Tuesday before so we can prepare.
EXTRA CARE THROUGH CAREPORTAL - THURSTON & PIERCE COUNTY ONLY
We partner with CarePortal to provide child-centered needs while you have kids in your home. Requests go through our admin, Alicia, and she inputs it into CarePortal so that the responders can see it. Responders voluntarily give of their time and resources; therefore, every request may not be met. Every request is delivered to your home by a church response team. Learn more about CarePortal
FIRST LOOK
We have generous partners. Sometimes we receive small donations that would serve a smaller group and at other times we receive large donations that can bless the whole community. When we receive smaller donations we will bring them to the family dinners or email members directly to claim event tickets. For larger giveaways we host member-only giveaway events.
NEWSLETTER
Stay up-to-date with upcoming events, trainings and opportunities to serve
DURATION OF MEMBERSHIP
FALL '25 - SUMMER '26
This session runs September '25 - August '26.
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MEMBERSHIP FEE
$49
ONE-TIME FEE FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY PER SESSION
This membership is for the whole family - one time. We keep this membership fee relatively low so that all families can engage regardless of their size.
What does the fee go towards?
This fee helps toward the cost of the monthly dinners and events. As a non-profit we receive donations and do fundraising, but there are still costs beyond what we can get donated like food and administrative things like running background checks for childcare volunteers. This membership fee doesn't cover all of our expenses - nor do we want it too. We just use this contribution to help supplement our costs and help with the sustainability of our program.
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Are scholarships available?
YES! We do not want the cost of membership to keep families disconnected from monthly family dinners or extra care. Request a scholarship by filling out this short form.
