All About TFG

Our Story

The Fostered Gift began many years ago as a dream in the heart of a young girl in foster care. A young girl who promised that someday she would find a way to help children like herself. Cofounder Shannon Leach was in foster care until the age of eighteen and soon afterward pursued a bachelor’s degree in social work. Her work provided many opportunities to give back to children like herself; however, it also gave her opportunities to see the gaps that existed in a worn and dated system. She began to look for ways to address those gaps.

Especially for waiting kids. There was a distinct gap that existed for children who found themselves unable to return home due to a crisis that remained, no matter what age or location. These children experienced many unknowns as they waited to hear the answers to where they would sleep next or how they would get what they needed. These moments of delay left a child already experiencing a traumatic crisis in an even more heartbreaking situation. Workers did all they could to narrow the wait, but a system is still just a system.

After many years of working in the field, the gaps continued and the barriers remained unchanged. The waiting, the lack of places for a child to go, and the unknown next steps continued to weigh heavy on children in the moment of a life-changing crisis. Shannon wanted a way to impact those gaps—a way to change the memory for children who suddenly found themselves unable to return home—a way to give them something positive in one of the worst moments of their lives.

She found a way. In February 2022, the dream became a reality when The Fostered Gift was born. This mission-focused, direct service, on-call response to provide items of comfort and need to a child in their hardest moment did not solve all the problems, but it was a move in the right direction. It was an opportunity to change the message of a moment that a child would live with forever. It was an opportunity to bridge the gap for a child.

Our Services

Learn more about the services that TFG provides for the children we serve and the first responders that serve them.

Our Board and Officers

These leaders develop and evaluate our policies, service strategies, and goals as they guide our organization to be transparent, humble, and mission-minded.

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SHANNON LEACH

Board President, Co-founder

Carrie

CARRIE GROSS

Board Vice President

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COURTNEY CARNEY

Board Member

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DAPHNE WADDELL

Board Treasurer

Jen

JENNIFER HALL

Board Secretary

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GLENICE MCKENZIE

Board Member

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CYNTHIA JOHNSON

Board Member

Our Teams

Each one of our teams works within our organization and our community to keep TFG on mission. Our appointed, volunteer directors pave the way for our services to get straight to the kids that need them.

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SHANNON LEACH

Community Relations Director

This team works to develop partnerships and education about foster care within our community to strengthen the bridge that connects to the children we serve.

Jen

JENNIFER HALL

Gift Squad Services Director

Our gift squad team provides direct services to children entering foster care including collection of items needed, on-call response, and delivery to a child in need.

Carrie

CARRIE GROSS

Development Director

Our fundraising and events team helps gather the resources we need to serve and provide opportunities for the community to get involved in our mission.

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DAPHNE WADDELL

Finance Director

This team offers support in all things numbers and helps guide our service decisions throughout the year.

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IT Director

This team keeps us moving with the technology assistance we need to keep our eye on the ball and our feet on the ground.

Become a Part of the Team

Interested in volunteering or joining our leadership team? Find out more about places you can serve.

Volunteer