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: biological parents, grandparents, foster and adoptive parents. Some volunteer at local schools; some have started nonprofits; some mentor others in their communities. Enjoy the stories of 2024’s unsung heroes.
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.
Katrina Peters, Spokane
Katrina is an amazing example of what having good support, drive, and determination can look like. Since knowing Katrina as an nurse family pracitioner client, she has navigated the effects of current and previous mental health, IPV, and family trauma. She has persevered through a DCYF dependency with her oldest children with reunification and stabilization present for the last 3 years.
Over the last several years, she has worked through systems of oppression, to now thriving in school at Spokane Community College (SCC) with a 4.0 GPA and plans to transfer to Eastern Washington University to obtain her bachelor’s and beyond. At SCC she has worked in student leadership as well as interned as a class assistant. Further, she’s a Parent Ambassador and Policy Council Executive member for Spokane Early Head Start. She’s gone to the state Capitol to talk with legislators about the importance of supporting Early Childhood.
Katrina exemplifies G.R.I.T.- Guts, Resiliency, Intensity, and Tenacity. She has learned how to traverse the world as someone with confidence, but her lived experience brings honesty and humility. Her goal of working in the helping profession will be a gift to our local community and the people she supports.
Most importantly, her children are her world. She recognizes the struggle of being a single mom and supporting three children but also the importance of changing historical patterns to support her children to thrive. She seeks out ways to enrich their lives and involves them in extracurricular activities around their needs and interests. She’s an amazing mom and person!
— Alicia Kreutzer, BSN, RN
More Unsung Heroes:
Mom of four promotes self care
A loving, resilient mom giving it all
A new mom helping other new moms
