Fostering Further is a 100% volunteer, 501(c)3 non-profit organization with an active board, working with the community to support foster care in central Ohio.
Our mission is
- To show foster caseworkers that we appreciate them.
- To show foster families that we support them.
- To show kids in foster care that we love them and they are not forgotten.
We have chosen to involve the local community and work within a small area, so that we can make a big impact on foster kids around us. Since 2013, we’ve partnered with other organizations to accomplish this through a wide variety of activities, including:
- Special events for families, including picnics and parents’ night out
- An auction to raise money for items for kids
- Personal care items for teens who have just moved into their own apartment
- Baby slings for babies who need more parental contact
- Breakfasts for caseworkers at Licking County Job & Family Services
- Items to set up dorm rooms for college-bound foster youth
- Backpacks and school supplies for kids in kinship care
Our Board Members:
Dana Decker
Dana is a high school teacher who deeply believes in the capabilities of kids in foster care, particularly the three who have come into their family. Dana and her husband live in the Licking Valley school district with their two youngest children.
Erica Kalkowski
Erica is an account manager at a Fastener company. She enjoys volunteering, reading and running. She currently resides in Etna with her husband and 3 growing children.
Michael O’Brien
Mike is the Chief Financial Officer of First Federal Savings in Newark. He is also a licensed CPA. He and his wife Amy live in Westerville with two young daughters.
Marcee Richardson
Marcee is an Intellectual Property Specialist, volunteer in the church and community organizations. She and her husband Brad live in Newark with their daughter
Valerie Smith
Valerie is an active stay-at-home mom, community volunteer, and former foster parent. Valerie and her husband Will live in Pataskala with their three kids.
Natalie Sutyak
Natalie is an author, educator, day care provider, abstinence instructor for Heartbeats of Licking County, and stay-at-home mom, as well as a former foster parent. She and her husband Matt live in Newark with their three children.
Yvonne Williams
Yvonne has spent many years working and volunteering for non-profit organizations. She currently works as an Outsource Accounting Specialist with Clark Schaefer Hackett. Yvonne and husband Rob are adjusting to an almost empty nest in Pataskala as their three boys are growing up much faster than they would like.
Jason Woodall
Jason is a husband, father, and engineer. He and his wife, Rachael, live in Hebron with their three biological children and one foster child. Their family moved to Ohio from California seven years with a brief stop in South Carolina along the way.
For more information on how Fostering Further operates, please review our Terms & Conditions.