ABOUT

Our Mission

Foster Community exists to increase the number and diversity of healing kinship, foster and adoptive families in Central Texas.

Our vision is to see all communities come together to keep kids in foster care safe, secure, and as close to home as possible.

Our History

Foster Community was born out of the Travis County Collaborative for Children (TCCC), a bold and ambitious initiative that works to bring system wide change to the way foster children in Travis County are cared for during, and after, their time in state custody.

2017
Launched through Mission Capital in the fall of 2017 with support from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, Foster Community is a network of nonprofits, government agencies and community leaders dedicated to increasing the number and diversity of healing foster and adoptive families in Central Texas.
2018
In 2018, Partnerships for Children took on the role of backbone support for Foster Community and began to build a team of individuals from diverse backgrounds to continue the Foster Community movement.
2019
Foster Community continued their foster care outreach efforts by increasing the number of non profit partner organizations that support children in care, hosted multiple information sessions in diverse communities, and attended countless events to bring awareness to the need for more engagement in foster care and adoption in Central Texas.

Using a grassroots community engagement strategy, a centralized website, and collaborative recruitment materials, Foster Community seeks to amplify the efforts of its partner organizations while reaching new populations to support children in foster care and their families.

Our Staff

Chelsy

Chelsy earned her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the University of North Texas in 2009. During her time in undergraduate studies she began her work in the social service field with Communities in Schools and also spent time working with Collin County Children’s Advocacy Center in various roles. She earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work from The University of Houston in 2011. From there she continued to work with children and families in multiple capacities including Baylor College of Medicine Community Programs and Texas Children's Hospital. Most recently, she worked as the Family Development Coordinator for The Settlement Home for Children, Foster Care and Adoption Program where her efforts went towards recruiting and training potential foster/adoptive families.

As the Director of Foster Community, you can find Chelsy managing events, recruiting families, and building relationships with amazing organizations that are serving the foster care and adoption community. Chelsy is passionate about seeing more families of color engaged in the foster care and adoption community with the rates of disproportionality steadily increasing here in Central Texas.

When Chelsy is not working, she spends a lot of time trying to TBRI her entire family, including herself. Chelsy and her husband moved from Houston four years ago after they had their second child and adopted two children all within six months of each other. They have four children total; two bonus kids, AJ and Olivia and two biological children, Bailey and Preston. As adoptive parents, she understands the details of the licensing process and the unique style of parenting that is utilized when raising children who have been in foster care. As a family they enjoy dancing and listening to music, spending time with friends, and watching sports.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Look at these stories and know what a difference it makes to be a service volunteer, an emergency placement home, or a long-term foster home for a child in need.

Alexandria

Formerly in Foster Care

As a youth formerly in foster care, Alexandria expresses why volunteers can make a huge difference in a child’s life.

Megan

The Settlement Home for Children - Foster Adoption Program Director

Our Partner organizations see first-hand the need for more volunteers and foster families in Central Texas. There are so many ways you can help.

Isabel

Volunteer

Isabel has been a bed time reader at Helping Hand Home for 12 years. She thinks volunteers bring hope to the children.

Kristen & Ryan

Foster Parents

Kristen and Ryan White talk about adopting their fourth child and continuing to foster children in the community.

Jessica

Foster Mom

Children placed in foster care experience a significant amount of trauma. Jessica discusses how trauma-informed training helped equip her to become a foster mom.

Isaac

Former Foster Parent

Mr. Joaquin was a foster parent to more than 250 children over a 21 year period. He is very grateful for the love and energy that the children gave him and his wife.