Before Raychel’s husband proposed to her, he asked someone very special for their blessing - Raychel’s caseworker. 

“She was the most important person in my life,” Raychel said. “I didn't have a father figure, and I don't have [much of] a relationship with my mom. So that was really special to me [that he asked her].”

Raychel had the same caseworker for most of her time in care. They developed a relationship, and Raychel felt safe knowing that no matter how many times she might mess up, her caseworker would still be there for her and tell her what she needed to hear. 

After blessing their engagement, Raychel’s caseworker was also a bridesmaid in her wedding, and their families still keep in touch. Her caseworker moved to another state, but their kids send each other letters and they exchange presents on holidays.

“She was that person who was with me in those hard moments,” Raychel said. “Going into this field, it really showed me how impactful that kind of a relationship is. If I could change just one kid's life the way [that] she changed mine, every trauma and hard time [that] I went through is worth it.”

Raychel works for a foster care agency, where she started as a caseworker and is now a branch manager. In her new role, Raychel works to inform the local community, businesses, leaders, and government officials about foster care, and she is responsible for the more than 20 employees who work in the branch office. Raychel misses some parts of being a caseworker - like doing home visits and spending one-on-one time with foster families - but she loves aspects of her new job as well.

“I've found a lot of joy in getting out in the community and raising awareness about who we are and what we do,” she said. “What we do is so special and important in helping people understand what foster care really is. It's not this stigma that people tend to think it is.”

Raychel found that people were often surprised to learn that foster parents receive at least 40 hours of training before they are eligible to foster a child. However, foster families may receive less support than they expect after a child is placed in their home. 

“I think a lot of people don't realize that when you become a foster parent, some agencies don't offer the support that our agency does,” she said. “We offer 24-hour crisis and in-home support. [We offer] in-home family therapy, [including] for biological children in the home. And they think that's a norm, when it's really not. We get a lot of people who are surprised by that.”

Raychel is very proud of the work that her agency does and its values.

“We are a faith-based organization,” she said, “which tends to scare some people. They think that [means that we] exclude people from volunteering or [that it affects] the type of parents or kids [that] we place. But we're non-discriminatory, and that is really important to me. It shouldn't matter where you come from, what you look like or what you do. If you have a heart for helping children heal, and [you] align with the goal of providing a safe place for a child, then you align with our mission.” 

She continued, “ If that's not what we stood for, I couldn't do it. I couldn't be just a rotating door. We have a really high staff [retention] rate because we hire people who believe in our mission and our values. Because of that, we have really great relationships with our kids and families.”

As the branch manager, Raychel leads a team of 28 people. 

“Leadership is weird because I don't look at myself as a leader,” Raychel said. “When you find people who are so passionate about what [they] do, it makes it really easy to lead because they lead, and I just follow along and pick up [the] crumbs. I make sure everyone has what they need. They can't do what we're asking, if they're not taken care of. I think when you're a leader, you have to be willing to take care of your staff.” 

She continued, “They're the wheels that keep this going. If we don't support them, they get burned out. And then what do you have? You don't have anything. I think being a great leader means that you care [for your team] on a really deep level.”

And Raychel does care deeply about her staff. 

When her coworker’s car broke down, Raychel called her husband to help. He drove out immediately, picked up Raychel’s coworker and even helped them get their car towed. 

Raychel’s coworkers support her too. 

“My kids see my coworkers as family,” Raychel said. “[My son] calls my coworker Aunt Stacy. And if my husband is not able to do something, there's 20 other people here like, ‘I'll go pick up your kids for you. Don't even worry about it.’ You don't get that just anywhere.” 

She continued, “I have a family here. I may not have a close relationship with my biological family, but I have 28 people here that I love and [that] love me. And I wouldn't change that.” 

One reason Raychel thinks her team is so close is because they share the same values and care about their work.

“[You] could ask any of our staff members about who we are, what we do and why [it’s] special, and they all share that excitement and love for it. That's what makes being a leader here so special. I know that we are represented by the best of the best. And you can't teach that.”

What does Raychel wish she could change about her job?

“I want people to know that the stigma out there [about] foster kids is so skewed and misrepresented,” Raychel said. “There are great foster families, great CPS workers, great case managers and agencies, and great biological parents out there. People make mistakes and sometimes those mistakes affect people, but it doesn't make you a bad person. I want people to have compassion for people involved in the foster care system, from the children to the biological families. We [need] to have grace for people.” 

She continued, “I love what we do. I wouldn’t change it for a billion dollars a year. To be able to impact lives in a positive way every day… not a lot of people get to say that about their jobs. Kids need to know that no matter where they go, they are always going to have a home here and people who love and care about them. They need people in their corner. To make an impact on a child's life is worth every late day or late night crisis call.”