News

This year has certainly had its twists and turns. And if we’ve learned anything, it’s the power of joining forces to better serve our children and families in crisis.

One of our incredible partner organizations, Stand Up Eight, has been one of these valuable and highly respected resources. In many ways, our shared mission of caring for kids from hard places started back in 2014 when Foster Village founder, Chrystal Smith, answered a call that would forever change her family. They said yes to an emergency foster placement of a precious girl they would later adopt. The comforting voice on the other end of that call was none other than Stand Up Eight’s founder, Jen Reichert, who was the powerhouse leading a child-placing agency at the time.

Since then, these ladies have both continued to pave the way for improvements in how we care for children who have experienced trauma, both in foster care and post-adoption. And amidst a year of reflection and growth, in what feels like the best kind of full circle reunion, we’re proud to announce that Stand Up Eight is evolving to become part of Foster Village Inc. and their nationwide affiliates.

In January, we’ll infuse the Stand Up Eight framework into Foster Village’s growing programs that serve thousands of families in need of support, providing them with the tools we’ve created to assist families across the spectrum from placement to permanency. Jen will join the Foster Village team as Director of Programs, enabling us to serve even more families through our shared services.

We are looking forward to continuing this critical and transformative work together!