Seattle’s Child is proud to partner with the state Department of Children, Youth and Families Strengthening Families Washington to honor outstanding caregivers doing important work on behalf of children. Throughout February, we’ll introduce you to Unsung Heroes from around the state. Enjoy their stories.
Linda Porter, Seattle
Family support has always been important to Linda: You can see that in everything she does. She is a caring mother and grandmother who adopted a former foster child. Later she became a kinship caregiver and ultimately adopted two of her grandchildren. Some of the children have lifelong disabilities, and Linda devotes much of her time to skillfully navigate systems to support them as their legal guardian. The children have different cultural backgrounds and Linda is diligent in learning about their cultures so she can support their identities. Linda is an enrolled member of the sduhubš (pronounced “sdu’hobsh”), Snohomish Tribe of Indians, and is a proud advocate for tribes.
Linda is retired from a career in social services and family support. She continues to draw on her lifetime of personal and work experience by continuing to advocate for disability awareness and services, kinship and Indian child welfare whenever she has an opportunity. She serves on an Indian Child Welfare Advisory Committee and the Kinship Oversight Committee for over 20 years and steps up wherever she sees a need.
–Marilyn Gisser
NOTE: Seattle’s Child is running these stories unedited, as written by the people who nominated them, in keeping with the DCYF Unsung Hero process.
More Unsung Heroes:
This mom overcame many obstacles and odds
