Faces of Foster Care

Honoring National Foster Care Month with stories of individuals connected to foster care: from former foster youth to community champions, from parents to foster parents.

Join us Wednesday, May 17th to hear from amazing individuals experiencing and showing up for foster care in one way or another. These courageous adults unite to share their unique experiences in hopes of building a community of support for local children in care.

Kristin Andrus, Host, Philanthropist, Community Champion – Mother of 6, and a part of the powerful team of women at The Policy Project, which seeks to “remove barriers to opportunity through solution-based policy.” She uses her reach to inspire and empower people to make meaningful change in their communities. Vulnerable youth have secured a place in Kristin’s heart. She shares an appreciation for the foster parents caring for these youth and encourages her community to “help the helpers”, even if you can’t be a foster parent yourself.

Adam Edmunds, Entrata CEO – Adam has made a lasting impact on the foster care community. Some of Entrata’s past and present executives have personal ties to foster care and hoped to honor that part of their history. Entrata reached out and wanted to know how they could help. Since that initial conversation, foster families in Utah have been supported with Sunday Suppers, Connection Kits, Utah Jazz tickets, and after COVID numbers required Entrata move their annual conference to on-line, they offered up their San Diego hotel reservation to foster families. And from what we know, Adam and his team at Entrata are just getting started!

Abby Cox, Utah First Lady, Show Up Utah Initiative – Abby Cox has a passion for our community’s most vulnerable populations and has used her voice to encourage Utah to Show Up for Foster Care. Abby reminds people that they can pretend to care, but they can’t pretend to show up! Abby hopes to build a community of caring to rally around children and families experiencing foster care.

Kenneth Boggs, Utah Foster Care Board Member – When it comes to Fostering Community, Kenneth Boggs leads the way! Kenneth joined the board of Utah Foster Care in 2022 and quickly stepped in to serve foster families and youth impacted by foster care in a variety of ways, from serving meals to families, inviting youth into his business to share his inspiring story, donating one of his custom suits for the annual UFC fundraiser, and continuing to mentor youth he has met along the way. He has built an awareness and passion within his own circle of influence encouraging others to foster hope for the future for youth in Utah.

Rosalee Hafen Ladd, Former Foster Youth – Rosalee Hafen and her 8 siblings were placed in foster care when she was a young teenager. There wasn’t a foster family that could care for them all together, so she was separated from many of her siblings. After a few foster homes didn’t work out, she ended up with a family she has a great relationship with to this day. She says, “I learned to trust and depend on others and I learned that I was important and began to believe in family again.” Rosalee believes that foster care is full of kids that just need to be loved, and one caring adult can make all the difference!

Amy Smith, Foster Parent – Amy is a foster mom with a passion for reunification and healing for the child through maintaining ongoing relationships with the children’s parents. Amy once said “Let’s not forgot that kids in foster care have parents who have struggles but are also humans who love their babies. Outcomes change when parents get the support and help they need.”

Josh Heath, Foster Parent – As a foster parent, Josh Heath has seen first hand the impact a loving family can have on kids from hard places. Whether the children have moved on to be with family, or have stayed by means of adoption, Josh and his wife have learned that we all have an infinite capacity to love.

Alyssa Bergman, Foster Parent – With initial hesitation to the sometimes scary idea of reunification and getting “too attached”, Alyssa has changed her perspective of the goal of foster care after experiencing the reunification of kids she grew to love and care about. She now has a different appreciation for the healing mission of foster care.

Richard Heckman, Parent + Brittany Griffin, Foster Parent – When Brittany and her husband were asked to care for Richard’s children as newly licensed foster parents, they didn’t know what to expect. They had heard the parents of children in foster care could be difficult to work with and that they didn’t know where to begin. Richard had concerns about his three children being involved in foster care. Once they all got to know each other, it became clear their stories would be different.