As the ripple effects from the ongoing pandemic continued in 2021, we here at the Coalition were awed by the everyday courage of foster, adoptive, and kinship families. Indeed, few understand the complexities of child welfare or out-of-home care systems. Yet, we know it takes a courageous heart for these children, parents, and caregivers to face the many challenges that come up day after day and not give up.
Here in Wisconsin, the Coalition is a neutral, supportive, compassionate resource for high-quality information and education. We are honored to be the champion of champions, helping build family and individual strength, confidence, and resilience. And we are excited to share with you some of the highlights of 2021.
Honoring Everyday Courage
At the Coalition, we see the face of courage every day. Every individual who reaches out to us reaches out with courage. Courage to believe in healing, to embrace vulnerability, to rewrite stories of hurt and trauma. We believe that listening with an abundance of humility and compassion is paramount; hearing people’s stories and giving them a place to be heard matters to us.
“This information is very resourceful and very much needed.”
- Over 6,600 people receive our weekly email newsletter, getting the tips and resources they need to be strong and resilient right in their in box
- Website visitors downloaded brief, informational tip sheets on a variety of topics related to foster care, adoption, and kinship care 5,000 times
- 3,197 website visitors looking for information and resources for birth parents
"After talking with the staff at the Coalition, I feel like I’m not alone in this situation.”
- We recorded over 223,000 website sessions to our family of websites that house the resources, information, inspiration, and training for parents and caregivers
- Parents and caregivers interested in learning about becoming a foster or adoptive parent visited our information websites 64,500 times
- Our Resource Team responded to 1,644 phone calls, emails, or in-person conversations and 1,096 inquiries about how to get started as a foster or adoptive parent
“I was feeling lost in the system, struggling to get answers. The woman I spoke with at the Coalition was patient, understanding, and knowledgeable. She answered my questions and got me in touch with someone to help with the next steps.”
- 97% of those who connect with the Coalition say the information they were provided was helpful
Champion Classrooms: Where Courage Meets Knowledge
Since launching this online, on-demand learning platform in 2019, the Champion Classrooms have continued to grow year after year. As Wisconsin caregivers and parents continue to navigate the challenges related to the pandemic in 2021, we continued to grow and enhance the opportunities for learning offered on this website.
"Share [this] with everyone possible.”
- The number of registered users increased from 1,343 in 2020 doubled to 2,780 in 2021
- Achieved a milestone of 50 pieces of content that are varied and relevant to foster, adoptive, and relative caregiving families
"Thank you for this class. Hearing someone speak from their experiences helped us feel less alone."
“I have gigantic appreciation for this information and the additional resources.”
- 99% of surveyed learners said that they have gained increased knowledge
- 97% of surveyed learners said that they intend to use what they have learned in caring for children
- 94% of surveyed learners said they have an overall satisfaction with the training they received
Gaining a New Understanding
“We love having access to 24/7 training on the Champion Classrooms site. After fostering for 10 years we thought we were prepared for most anything, but David’s lying was so extreme. He lied about everything. He lied when he was in trouble. He lied when there was no reason to. He lied about lying. Any attempts to make him stop just made it worse. It was alienating him from everyone and creating tension and mistrust in our home.
Late one night, after a particularly frustrating confrontation with David, I went online to see if the Coalition had any resources that could help. I found a webinar recording and a course specifically on lying behaviors. I jumped in with both feet and quickly realized why our efforts to make it stop were backfiring. We were taking his lying so personally, we weren’t recognizing it as the fear-based survival skill it was. Where he was needing to feel safety and connection, we were confronting and demanding explanations he couldn’t give. We were unknowingly feeding his fear.
Things literally changed overnight. We changed. Rather than asking ‘why are you lying?’ we amped up reassuring David he was safe and we were there to help him. Gradually, as we earned his trust, the lying became less and less frequent. I wish I had checked Champion Classrooms earlier, but it’s reassuring to know it’s there.”
Annual Golf Outing
We were thrilled to have the opportunity to welcome guests to our annual events in 2021.
67 participants joined us on a beautiful day at the Legend at Merrill Hills in Waukesha on June 14. They took part in raffles, enjoyed a duck race, had some delicious food, and, of course, golfed, resulting in $23,000 raised.
Celebrating the Courageous Heart
Our 26th annual Champions’ gala was a celebration of courage on November 4. Wendy Gebauer of Grady, Hayes & Neary received the Mission Champion award, and Tia, Josh, Jordan, Abby, and Kyler Moldehauer received the Courageous Hearts Award—along with a special recorded message from Wisconsin native, transracial adoptee, and NFL player Alec Ingold. Our gathering of around 150 guests helped raise $120,000 to ensure families caring for children and youth impacted by trauma can find the information, resources, and support they need no matter what.
Thank you for supporting the Coalition.
To see a list of those who supported our work in 2021, please visit https://coalitionforcyf.org/supporters/thank-you-to-our-donors-2-2/.
We are sincerely grateful for each of our donors and supporters. If we have omitted anyone from this list, it was despite our diligent efforts to acknowledge every donor who wishes to be recognized, and we do apologize.
