We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Amber Richardson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Amber below.
Amber, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.
On July 11, 2007 a handsome 14-month old little boy was placed in our arms along with a single black trash bag with only a few worn out clothes and a few plastic easter eggs considered to be his toys. Reality hit us quick. Was this normal? Were other foster parents okay with this? I didn’t want to believe so. My mind began to wonder whether our little guys first, second, and sadly third transition in 14 short months were met with the same sad image. This scenario always bothered me and the thought of other children experiencing this same reality was worrisome. Trash bags? Very few clothes? Worn? Stained? Too small? Leftovers? I knew as a community we could do better than this. I have always believed that children in care deserve to be clothed in confidence so they can feel loved, empowered, and valued, just like everyone else. As it is, they get uprooted from their homes and their lives completely flipped upside down in the blink of an eye, the least we can do is show them the love and dignity all children deserve. Like that saying goes, “when you look good you feel good.”
As our journey continued as foster parents over the years I realized we were not alone in our experiences and there was a need for resources to better support the basic needs of children in foster care and their families. Because of this knowledge I wanted to do something about it and offer additional support for children in foster care, foster families, and those in group homes as well as support case professionals and the children they work with. What started as a thought during the placement of two of our boys in 2019 turned into a strong desire to make it happen. So came this idea of a boutique where children in foster care and their families could shop the latest trends in a welcoming, unique, boutique-like setting where merchandise would be new and quality like-new clothing, FREE of cost and available once a month for every child while in care. What started as a dream, developed into a reality with the help of a wonderful support system and community.
Foster Love was established in June 2020 and became an official 501c3 in January of 2021. On July 11, 2021 we celebrated the opening of our storefront boutique in Downtown Ralston. We currently offer Shopping Days, appointments for emergency needs, and an art program called Artsy Kids each month. In addition, we hold several extra events for foster families throughout the year including a Schools-Out Picnic, Back-to-School Party, Boo-tique Bash, Sweets with Santa, and Parents Night Out.
Amber, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am the Founder and Executive Director of Foster Love which was established in June of 2020. I bring 16 years of experience as a foster and adoptive parent. I got involved with group homes in 2005 when I completed an internship at Youth Emergency Services. Since then I have been passionate about advocating for children in foster care and those who have been placed in difficult circumstances. I received a bachelor’s degree in Education and Human Sciences from the University of Nebraska-Omaha where I also played on the women’s soccer team who also won a National Championship in 2005. In 2010 I received a master’s degree in Leadership and Coaching. I was a former assistant coach for the women’s soccer program at Bellevue University for 11 years.
I believe my experience as a former athlete, coach, and foster parent have served me well in my current role. I know how to work hard, I’ve learned from the best to lead, and I advocate for children very well. A unique part about us is we’re a grassroots NPO built on lived experiences by the founder from the perspective of a foster parent and advocate. It’s purpose was to create a space that children and families could feel confident, empowered, and valued. A safe space. An inclusive community. A place that everyone belongs. I have been very intentional with our programming, often thinking of my own children and all those who have been in our home and asking the question “What are my children lacking given their circumstances and what would benefit them the most?” I have experienced similar challenges from that of other caregivers and provide a strong voice to the foster care community.
A pretty cool part of our story is many of my former teammates at UNO are part of my team at Foster Love. Tricia Nikiforuk is our Administrative Assistant. Jaime Johnson is our Artsy Kids Program Coordinator and Teacher. Lindsey Spaustat is our Grant Writer and Ellen Petersen is a Board Member who takes care of our accounting needs. We also have many others who have stepped up to help with volunteer needs and who give back generously. It’s incredible and if I were to guess, very unique. We are a strong, powerful team of young female professionals.
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A little bit about me. I’m a wife, have been a mother to more than a dozen over the years, and the Founder of Foster Love. I was born and raised in LaVista, Nebraska. Graduated from Papillion LaVista.
I grew up in a loving home with a wonderful mother and father. I was the youngest of five siblings.
A good way to describe me is I’m passionate, I love to help others, and have always been curious about the world around me.
From a young age I excelled in academics, sports, and leadership roles. After Graduating in 02 I received a scholarship to play soccer at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. It was there that my eyes were opened to an even bigger world. I began to embrace different perspectives and real life experiences of others. I realized I had so much to learn but was always eager to listen to others and their stories. I started my studies in Education and Human Sciences knowing that I wanted to help people in some way. A few years later I transferred to the University of Nebraska-Omaha to continue my soccer career – it was there during my senior year that I completed an internship at Youth Emergency Services. With that experience I grew more intrigued about getting involved in the community by supporting, advocating, and raising awareness for vulnerable children.
After finishing my undergraduate degree, my husband Matt and I became licensed foster parents. On July 10, 2007 we met our first placement. Little did we know though what was about to transpire in the next 12 hours and beyond would change our lives and our path moving forward. The following day our little guy would return with a single black trash bag filled with his few belongings lacking any sort of dignity. Clothes that were worn, torn, and ill fitting. We were his 4th placement in 14 months. At the time I didn’t understand the magnitude of what it meant to take a child in, let alone the tools to process his entrance into our home. I wondered, was this normal? I was young, ignorant, and naive, not knowing much. However, what I did know was that what I saw and how I felt that day didn’t feel right.
Fast forward, we adopted Trevon in March of 08. I gave birth to our daughter Jayda in August of that same year. We would later meet two of Trey’s younger siblings who were adopted through foster care also and the meaning of family changed even more. We met Demetrius when he was 11 weeks old in 2012 when his grandparents decided it would be best to find a family to parent their grandson. That meeting would again change our lives for the better. He transitioned into our home full-time later that year and was adopted 2 years later. That relationship added a whole new perspective of foster care, adoption, and biological family relationships. His mother Nicole, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins would become our biggest supporters. It truly is a beautiful story of love, support, and respect. In 2015 I gave birth to our daughter Berkley. After her addition we wrestled with what we wanted to do and where we saw ourselves supporting the foster care community moving forward. As you can imagine, being a foster parent and dealing with the broken system can be very challenging physically, mentally, and emotionally.
We continued to stay very involved by sharing our story, forming relationships with other foster parents, advocating, and volunteering our time on panels. During those couple of years I realized my heart could never quite leave foster care and there was more to our story.
In 2019 we got licensed again in hopes of taking another placement. That summer we took placement of two siblings while concurrently dreaming and exploring other ways to support the community. I was always brought back to the day our little guy showed up to our doorstep with a single black trash bag full of ill fitting clothes. I knew through our experiences and conversations with other foster parents that Trevon’s story wasn’t unique unfortunately. And this thought of having a place that would help with basic needs wouldn’t escape me. As I was scrolling through instagram one day I came across an organization on the east coast that provided children in foster care with free clothing. A light bulb suddenly went off – and from that day forward I promised myself I was going to do whatever it took to bring a beautiful boutique to the foster care community – no matter how crazy my family and friends thought I was. If they could do it, so could I. I dreamed of a boutique full of love and dignity. A place that looked and felt like love. From the clothes on the racks and the words on the wall that read “the world needs who you were made to be” to a dressing room sign that says “be you bravely.” I wanted every inch of the space to scream LOVE.
Oddly enough my husband’s Aunt Susan and Uncle Pat stopped by on Thanksgiving in 2019 to meet the sweet boys in our home not knowing anything about this dream of mine. Little did I know the impact of that meeting and how it would change our family’s life. That day we received a seed-money investment out of the kindness of their heart. It was their way of paying it forward and thanking us for our work as foster parents – they said go take a trip! Do something you haven’t been able to do. Susan would later go on to say “little did Pat and I know in 2019 when we gave you a seed-money investment, that you would leverage that gift into this important thriving non-profit.” Susan continues to be my mentor, biggest supporter, and number one fan.
In March 2020 our little guys returned home and the pandemic shut down my job at Orangetheory Fitness for three months so I dedicated my time developing a plan and learning every facet of business.
I used Susan and Pat’s gift to start this dream. That dream would be called Foster Love. It would be an organization dedicated to providing basic needs and opportunities for children in foster care while supporting foster families so they would feel confident, empowered, and valued.
In the midst of the pandemic we held our first contactless collection drive in July 2020. The response was overwhelming. My husband and 4 children walked away with a mountain full of donations of new and like-new clothing. These donations gave us the ability to start offering care packages (from our basement) for porch pickup and later helped us establish our first three Pop-Up Shopping Days at the Papillion Community Foundation Building in January and March of 21. We found that foster families were needing help with basic needs more than ever – and it seemed as though Foster Love came at the perfect time during COVID. The willingness of the community to find ways to give back was also embraced. This is also when I started forming my team of volunteers little by little.
Those first 3 shopping days served over 120 children which honestly surprised me in a way even though I knew there was a need. It was evident that the issues we witnessed with our first son were in fact true within the foster care community. We outgrew this temporary space and knew we needed a permanent location to continue with our mission. We were fortunate to find a space in Downtown Ralston in May of 2021 and my husband and I worked hard to renovate the boutique to be ready for back-to-school needs in July. We have been there 2 1/2 years and it’s been wonderful – but we are already looking for a new space to occupy as we continue to grow in size and programming.
So what do we do?
We offer Shopping Days twice a month; the 3rd Saturday and 4th Thursday. Children in foster care have the opportunity to shop New clothing, shoes, and accessories in the boutique all free of cost once every month if they’d like. First time shoppers get 4 tops, 4 bottoms, 2 accessories, undergarments, socks, and a book.
We also offer an art program called Artsy Kids which is led by Jaime Johnson. This program allows children to have family dinner, express themselves through creativity, and connect with peers. It’s an incredible program with great impact. The smiles are infectious and the art they create is incredible.
We also offer other family events which include; a Back to School Party, Bootique Bash, Sweets with Santa, and Parents Night Out. These events support the whole foster family and offer connections within the foster care community. From experience, being a foster and adoptive parent can be very lonely and it’s my life goal to provide the support my husband and I never received from the community.
Foster Love was created to not only provide new basic needs nurtured in love and dignity but to also be a place that feels like home. A place they can turn to and count on. A place where you aren’t just a number but where you feel included and supported. In 2023 we offered 1,544 shopping appointments in just our second full year of being in our boutique. The need is there and we are happy we can provide it with the help from the community.
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Recent Honors
Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute Angels in Adoption Advocacy Fair Exhibitor, 2023
Heartland Family Service, Salute to Families, Community Service Award Honoree, 2023
Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute Angels in Adoption Nebraska District 2 Award Recipient, 2022
Hometown Hero for Meta Boost Sarpy County, 2022
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I would say my vulnerability and authenticity as a foster parent has helped build my reputation. I try to be as real, honest, and open as I can which makes myself and the brand more relatable. I try to be a voice for those who don’t have a voice or who can’t find their voice.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
Yes! My Aunt Susan that I speak of is heavily involved and extremely knowledgeable in the nonprofit world. I have been lucky to move forward on this dream and journey with her; side by side. She has been a great consultant, cheerleader, and fan. She first recommended the book she wrote called Nonprofit Lifecycles; stage-based wisdom for nonprofit capacity. It gave me a good understanding of how the lifecycle of a nonprofit works. Then when I mentioned I was interested in forming a social enterprise she recommended Venture Forth; the essential guide to start a moneymaking business in your nonprofit organization. Both have been valuable, informative, and helpful on this journey. I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking to start their own nonprofit to dive in.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.fosterlove402.org
- Instagram: @fosterlove402ne
- Facebook: @fosterlove402ne
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/amber-richardson-8a4704268
- Youtube: @amberrichardson2070
Image Credits
Katie Sharpe Images