Unsung Hero: Ashley Stefani, a model of love, resilience and generosity

Seattle's Child is proud to once again sponsor the Unsung Heroes being honored in February by the Department of Children, Youth and Families Strengthening Families Washington.

Every day this month we'll present an Unsung Hero.

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.

Ashley Stefani, Vancouver

Mrs. Ashley, despite battling the disease lupus, demonstrates all five protective factors.

Her daughter Cadence was born with a heart defect but throughout that journey has shown the ability to bounce back from the stress that has brought to her family, demonstrating parental resilience.

When needed, she has depended on the strong support system our community offers, demonstrating social connections.

She has always strongly advocated for her daughter Cadence and has provided support to her in any way that she can. Ashley has spent almost every day at our school volunteering her time so she could be close to Cadence should anything happen with her heart, demonstrating knowledge of parenting and child development.

Ashley also is a substitute teacher at the school and often takes sub jobs in my child's classroom because she is aware of my child's hearing loss and cochlear implants, her academic needs, and knows how to support her in the classroom ensuring she has access to the material being presented. This demonstrates social and emotional competence of children.

On the rare occasion that Ashley feels out of her element when it comes to her child or another child such as mine with special needs, she knows exactly who to ask for the guidance she needs (SLP, etc), demonstrating concrete supports in time of need.

Ashley is such an important part of our community. She gives her time, her money, her skills, and her support whenever and whenever it's needed. She has touched the lives of many people and every one of them is blessed to have had her in their lives. Recently, Ashley has stepped in and offered support to a fellow mom who is undergoing cancer treatment by caring for her children throughout the week to allow the mom to rest and recover. This is just one example of the amazing things Ashley does to support and love the people around her. She absolutely demonstrates all 5 protective factors and deserves to be recognized.

Nominator: Kelli Cayton