Seattle's Child

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Strengthening Families Washington 2017 Unsung Hero Ann-Marie Sather

Ann-Marie Sather is a champion for her family and her community.

Seattle's Child is proud to once again sponsor the Unsung Heroes being honored in February by the Department of Early Learning’s Strengthening Families Washington. Every day this month we'll present an Unsung Hero on seattleschild.com. Nominations are accepted from around the state and include biological parents, grandparents, foster and adoptive parents. Some volunteer at local schools; some have started nonprofit organizations; some mentor others in their communities. All honorees are true heroes – outstanding caregivers doing important work on behalf of children. 

 

February 2, 2017

Honoree:  Ann-Marie Sather, Bellingham

Nominator:  Erin O'Moore

Ann-Marie Sather is a champion for her family and her community. She received a call on September 4, 2015, that her 18-month-old great-niece and her 3½ year-old half-sister were being removed from their home and were in need of loving care. Thirty minutes later she was driving to her nephew’s house to take these sweet girls into her life while their parents sought help for addiction and anger issues.

Ann-Marie is a single woman who was active in the lives of her nieces and nephews as they grew, but who has never raised a child herself. She transformed her home into one that was not only safe, but also nurturing, stimulating and predictable for the girls. Both of her great-nieces had developmental delays when they joined her home, but Ann-Marie soon accessed quality childcare and early intervention supports to help them build their skills.

As a Family Resource Coordinator for the past 10 years Ann-Marie has helped hundreds of foster and relative placement families get the support they need as well as offering compassion for their struggles. Now she is experiencing the other side of the story. Working full-time and raising two small children on her own with all the complexities of the foster care system and family dynamics, she has been amazing.

The youngest great-niece has been reunited with her father and the now 4-year-old continues to live with Ann-Marie. She is a dedicated woman at home and in the community and clearly an unsung hero!

 

 

 

 

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