Hi Friends!

Buckle up and get ready to link arms -- because I'm about to share a big calling that I have on my heart, and your support would mean that countless lives will be transformed.

I'm going to come out and say it right here, right now - and then my hope is that you'll continue reading and truly feel my heart. I pray that together we truly can make a difference.

Here goes.....I'M GOING TO CHANGE THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM.

There is no stranger feeling than a calling that stretches and pulls on you, activating you in amazingly terrifying ways. It's been in the works for years, but this particular year, 2025, the stars have aligned. I’ve seen enough, my heart has been diligently listening, and I'm being obedient to the call.... It has become abundantly clear to me that the need is URGENT for this work to be done.

Children and teens are silently suffering. Bio-families are in deep despair. Foster parents are stretched and majorly unsupported. Social workers have invisible bruises on their foreheads from banging their heads against the wall. Judges aren’t fully informed. Waiting lists for mental health services are ridiculously long. Money is tight everywhere. Counties are lacking in resources and kids are shuffled like temporary tenants, ultimately left feeling discarded.

THE. SYSTEM. IS. BROKEN.

We’ve all heard the stories, we’ve all felt the hopelessness.

I’ve worked with families whose cases drag on and on in the court system. They are misunderstood, villanized, strapped with case plans that feel insurmountable, confused and falling through the cracks daily. All this while the kids sit in an unfamiliar home with minimal communication and a lot of strangers trying to ‘fix’ them. The truth is, they aren’t broken - but the system trying to help them is and their family most likely is.

Basic needs of children aren’t met due to generational trauma, substance abuse, economic hardship, lack of access to medical care, domestic violence and so much more. I think of a single mom I worked with recently who had her kids removed in the middle of the night because she sheltered someone who was unsafe and causing them harm. They entered a system that is supposed to protect them only to be met with more harm and neglect that could have been avoided. It hurts everyone. There are parents trying to calm their anxious teens down by sharing their pills or marijuana, only to spark an addiction where a teen brain wasn’t fully developed, leading to one chaotic event after another. There are babies born having withdrawals from hard drugs and/or alcohol. Kids suffering from fetal alcohol syndrome flood the system and there is no treatment for them. Innocent children are caught in the middle of domestic violence and end up severely injured and removed from the home. Parents and caregivers don’t know what to do with angry teens who feel misunderstood and behave in ways that push them away, leading to homelessness and crime and brokenness in the family.

Invisible scars are deep and understanding them is extremely complex. Every family is unique and the needs lists are so long. My heart and soul have been in the trenches and I’m leaving no stone unturned. This is happening, I’m going to turn it for the good. I’ve been skirting around the system for years…observing it from every possible angle. I’ve been taking notes and asking hard questions. I’ve learned valuable lessons from the oppressed, the victims, the silent sufferers. I see them and take time to listen to them and I’ve promised them that together we’re going to change it. There is not a minute more where I can tolerate injustice and expect anything more than extreme care, healing, restoration and deep deep love.

I have started a non-profit that is committed to creating systemic impact. Think of fierce love in a wild word - that’s what I’m offering. I see solutions to things people have deemed unsolvable and it’s only a matter of time before easier to navigate systems and streamlined standards of care will be implemented by counties everywhere because of this vision and passion. Children and families entering the system will be met with decency and grace; restoration will start on day one.

Money raised will help to build a movement. I am already developing a program that will train and equip fellow difference makers. We will streamline systems so that workers and families and foster homes can focus less on a mountain of paperwork and more on meeting the needs of the kids and families who need immediate assistance.

I can’t do this alone and hope that starting now we can link arms so that no child is left scared, confused, vulnerable and alone ever again. CHANGE IS POSSIBLE! Our kids deserve so much more. Please join my journey by donating money and trusting that I’m already investing it into life-changing work. Thank you for jumping in with me with both feet – I promise to keep you updated and hope you’ll see changes that will ripple far and wide.

Love and peace to you,

Marie

"He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun" Psalm 37:6

"If you can change a heart, you can change the world" "Let's get to work!" ~ Danny Gokey

*All donations will be 501(c)(3) tax-deductible

Money will be used to establish state and federal filings, build the Heart Catchers website, send Marie to BeFrienders Leadership Training (foundational leader training so I can train and equip future leaders) and immediately start supporting foster families (this is urgent). As things grow it will be used to develop and implement systems that counties can adopt to ease and organize workload and paperwork...so that they can focus more on families and kids. We also plan to create an app that will connect and support and encourage communications between all parties. There's likely much more but this is enough to get started! Thank you so much for your help, I truly appreciate it so much