I first learned of DCFYI at an Adoption and Foster Care Expo in late 2015. I was really impressed with the design of the program, the enthusiasm of the volunteers and mentors at the expo, and all of the stories shared with me that day. I quickly signed up to attend a few events, attended the mentor training, and planned a trash cleanup for Earth Day (it ended up raining the *entire* time but the teens were real troopers!). Since then, DCFYI has become an integral part of my life here in Washington DC. It doesn’t feel like a volunteer gig – just another group of friends with whom to gather.

The staff, volunteers, and youth of DCFYI come together to create a real, caring community. Whether you are assigned to a mentee or not, your talents and interests are appreciated and welcomed. As with any teenager, it can be difficult to get them to open up and connect, but it’s worth the wait. In the spring of 2017, I was matched up with an incredible young woman after hitting it off at a cooking event. She and I have grown and learned from each other, and I look forward to continuing to support her and being involved with the program.

I hail from the south but have embraced DC as home for the last 3 years, which I love exploring in my free time. At work, I focus on bringing together homeland security and public safety stakeholders to develop policy and strategies to make the National Capital Region a safer place to live, work, and visit. 

Back at the start of my career, I worked with law enforcement, hospitals, and community members to build out sexual assault response teams. Part of that job also included working directly with rape victims-- both children and adults-- as an advocate. In the course of that line of work, I had the unfortunate responsibility of calling on social services to put children in foster care. I always felt the weight of that decision and knew that one day, when I was in a stable life situation, I would do my part to continue helping children in similar situations. 

The kids that are in foster care are not there because of anything they have done and they deserve every opportunity to be safe and know love and trust. DCFYI provides essential services to our community that cannot possibly be valued enough! I literally stumbled into working with DCFYI: a friend had given me an address and phone number and I just showed up with no warning to a DCFYI event! I sat down with some of the kids to create art and have not looked back since! My husband and I are currently in the process of being licensed as foster care parents and we are really excited to continue working and growing with DCFYI in the coming years.

I’ve been a volunteer with DCFYI since 2009, and joined out of concern for the hundreds of foster youth in our town that have incredible potential but often limited support. I came into the program to explore the possibility of mentoring or fostering long term, but wondered whether I could connect with any of the kids, and if I had anything to offer.

I started consistently going to the DCFYI events, and after a few months soon found that my fears were ill founded. The adults and kids at DCFYI form an incredibly diverse and supportive community, and it did not take long to become a part of it. I found the more I could directly participate and/or organize activities, the faster I developed relationships with everyone. I soon met my mentee Robert, and have had the privilege of getting to know him, helping him sort through several new foster homes, explore new interests, apply (and be accepted to) a new high school to pursue his dream of dance, and more recently, apply for and get accepted to a four year college (NSU!). I feel I’ve helped him along a bit, and being engaged with Robert over the past five years has been deeply affecting, truly one of the most meaningful experiences in my time here in the District.

Through getting to know Robert and the other DCFYI teens, I’ve found myself continually humbled by the resilience they show, their creativity and warmth towards each other and the adults who are committed to them. There are always challenges to being a mentor, but I am also continually struck that while the lives of DC foster youth are often complicated and painful, it is simple, sustained, loving attention that is often most needed.

Bill Trunk worked at American Red Cross in Washington, DC for 15 years until he retired in August, 2024 as Finance Director.  Prior to joining the American Red Cross, Bill was a Community Development Volunteer with Peace Corps in Albania from 2007-2009. Bill grew up on a dairy farm in rural Minnesota and has lived in five states in the US and two other countries.

I treasure my mentor experience over the past eight years due to the friendship with my mentee over the years.  I have learned how to provide unconditional support as a coach to my mentee who now is in her mid-20s during both the celebrations and challenges of her life.  In addition, I have developed a better understanding about the trauma of foster care and the challenges of aging out of foster care by listening and providing advice to my mentee without telling her what to do.

I decided to get involved with DCFYI after spending time with my teenage nieces and realizing I actually enjoy spending time with teenagers.   My own slightly rebellious style fits perfectly with this demographic.

As an entrepreneur, I have always done things my own way. I am not shaken very easily. Teenagers try to shake you and they try to get under your skin, and I just enjoy it. I think it’s a really fun challenge and a really fun place to be and I’ve never like diapers, so it’s perfect for me. I look at volunteering with DCFYI as an opportunity to be an aunt to teenagers who need a positive influence.

When I started with DCFYI three years ago I was not sure how involved I would become. But I became a mentor for one wonderful teen mother who graduated with honors and continues to make for herself an impressive life by anyone’s standards.  She is bright, talented and amazes me every time I have the pleasure of spending time with her.  We were able to get her into an independent living situation with her son, and she started college and by all counts is succeeding greatly!

More recently I became a licensed foster parent and created a home for another one of DCFYI’s youth who I met at my first DCFYI event where she taught me a three point shot. She was just so charming, and personable, and wonderful, and lovely, and through the events, we were able to connect more and more over the years.

After tragedy struck her life, she was at risk of not graduating high school, despite previously having been an honor roll student. I thought to myself, “I’ve known you since you were 15; you don’t get to just not graduate.” I wanted to offer her another path. So, I made a deal with her:  If you do all the work you need to do and take the classes you need to take to graduate from high school, then I’ll do all the paperwork I need to do and take the classes I need to take to become your foster care parent.

Overall, as a member of the DCFYI community, my effort never feels difficult, I show up, I am present, I’m me, full of flaws and authentic, and somehow that authenticity makes it easier for all humans to connect.  One thing I’ve realized is if you reflect their own potential to the teens, they can have extraordinary lives that are the complete opposite of where their fate may have taken them otherwise.

I know that they know if they need something they can call me; and that’s all DCFYI asks of its’ community members, to be there for someone else. It’s such an easy place for me to show up and bonus, it feels rewarding to make a difference.

Angie is a Senior Director of Equitable Housing at Freddie Mac, where her work centers on strategies to address the systemic barriers to housing equality. She has a B.S. in Financial Economics from UMBC, a Masters in HR Management from Georgetown, and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education at Vanderbilt University.

Angie joined the FYI community in 2018.

Since a teen, Tanika has been working with non-profit organizations in the Prince George's County area teaching youth about healthy relationships and self-care. As someone with lived experience in and out of the foster care system, her goals are to bridge the gap between teens and adults who are willing to build stronger connections and have them understand there are communities they can benefit from during and after aging out of foster care. Tanika wants to help the next generation transition into adulthood more effectively than her experience.

Shea has seven years of experience in fundraising and fifteen years of experience in teaching religious school. She began her development career as a Development Assistant at National Jewish Health, a leading respiratory hospital in the nation. There she worked with donors, event planning, and foundation research. Shea then worked as a Development Assistant at the Arc Prince George’s County. Finally, she worked as a Development Associate for Georgetown University’s School of Medicine and Health researching major donors. Shea teaches 5th graders at Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church, Virginia, where the emphasis of the curriculum is on tikkun olam, or repairing the world. She became involved with Family and Youth Initiative due to her love of children. Shea holds a BA in Mathematics from Williams College and an MD from Drexel University College of Medicine.

Patrick Foley joined DCFYI in August 2021 as the Open Table Project Coordinator. Patrick is a licensed foster parent in DC, and specializes in fostering teenage boys. He recently adopted five of his sons, now ages 19-28.

Seven years ago Patrick was asked by a friend what career he would choose if he could start all over again. Without hesitation he said he'd become an advocate for kids in foster care. That's when he decided to leave his career in hotel management and devote his time to improving the foster care system. Today he volunteers with several advocacy groups and is a certified trainer for people being licensed to become foster parents in DC.