Kimlyn Esser, Executive Director of Adoptions Northwest, was introduced to the world of
adoption social work in 2010. As a new director for an existing agency, she learned everything
she could about adoption from families and law makers.  Kimlyn learned about the difficulties,
the expense, the unexpected challenges, the small victories, and especially the love and bond of a newly formed family. 
 

Kimlyn learned that some families were overlooked or excluded because they didn't fit into the traditional adoption mold. It bothered her that families who were well qualified to care for a
child were turned away because they weren't traditional, they didn't have a large disposable income available to pay for a home study, or they required a little extra time to put finances in order. She grew dissatisfied turning families away that she knew would make good adoptive parents if they were given the chance.    
 

There needed to be an agency that was dedicated and open to all families and individuals who
wanted to provide a home, assistance, or financial support to children, to keep them out of
foster care in the first place, or to work to get them out of foster care. Every night, over 100,000
children in the United States do not have a permanent home to call their own with no real plan
for permanency in their future.  They live with families who are not their own, come to homes that are not theirs, sleep in beds and play with toys that are not theirs. They are guests living with strangers. For those of us who have never experienced this, it's hard to even fathom the many long-term effects that result from this type of childhood. Children in foster care learn not to trust, they are unsettled, and they become used to everything in life changing in an instant.

 

On average, children in care will move a minimum of four times during their first year in care.
          In the United States, every two minutes a child is removed from their primary care provider.
          Only 30% of children in care are placed with a family member.
          The average age of a child in foster care is 8.5 years.
          The average age of a child adopted from foster care is 6 years old.

          27% of children stay in the foster care system for more than 3 years.
          42% of children in foster care will drop out of high school.
          Less than 3% of children in foster care will get a college degree.
          1 in 5 foster care children will be homeless within 1 year of aging out of the foster care 

                        system.
 

Kimlyn knew that children and families deserve better. So, when the opportunity to create a
new agency presented itself, Adoptions Northwest was born. There was no hesitation.
Adoptions Northwest is honored to have the opportunity to work for children in our
community, state, and nation.
 

The individuals who work with Adoptions Northwest make a difference in the lives of children. 
Together, we can change the statistics for the better.  We can positively affect the system, the
way we work with children and families, and more importantly, the way children in foster care
see themselves and the world around them.  
 

Thank you for being interested in our organization. With your support, we can write a new
narrative for our youth in foster care. You CAN make a difference in the life of a child.

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Email us now to get more information.