Mission Statement:

 At Advocacy Tree, we believe every child deserves to grow in a safe, stable, and loving environment—and that begins with helping families before they fall apart.

Our branches reach wide, tackling the urgent need for:

Family Preservation – Supporting parents with resources before removal becomes an option.
 

Youth Advocacy – Centering the voices of children and teens in every decision that affects them.
 

System Reform – Challenging policies that perpetuate harm and pushing for meaningful change.
 

Prevention Initiatives – Identifying risks early and promoting services that heal and strengthen, not separate.
 

Founded by lived experience and fueled by real stories, Advocacy Tree is not just an organization—it’s a growing movement. Join us as we fight for safer systems, stronger families, and a better future for every child.

 Kathie Anderson is a seasoned child welfare advocate, author, and founder of Advocacy Tree, a grassroots movement committed to reforming the foster care system and protecting families before they break apart. With over 40 years of firsthand experience as a foster and adoptive parent, Kathie brings unparalleled insight into the systemic failures that too often harm the very children they are meant to protect.

Her expertise spans trauma-informed parenting, family preservation, and policy-level advocacy. She has developed practical toolkits, children’s books, and emotional memoirs that amplify real voices and push for urgent reform. Kathie is passionate about prevention-first solutions, believing that families deserve support before separation and that every child deserves safety, without delay.

Through Advocacy Tree, Kathie leads public awareness campaigns, legislative initiatives, and community education efforts, all rooted in compassion and fueled by truth. Her mission is simple but urgent: to hold systems accountable and ensure no child is lost to silence, red tape, or neglect.

Over the years, I’ve worked with some incredible caseworkers, law guardians, and agency staff. I built strong relationships with people who genuinely cared. I didn’t enter this work for praise—I did it for the children.

Yes, I adopted many kids. Some journeys were joyful, others painful. But there’s no manual for parenting children who’ve lived through trauma. We learned, we loved, and we did our best.

Some of those children still call me family. Others moved on—and that’s okay. Love doesn’t always come with paperwork.

I’m not fostering anymore. But I haven’t stepped away. I’ve stepped into a new role: one of advocacy, because behind the scenes, the system is breaking down, and too many of us have seen it.

We’ve seen foster parents punished for speaking out. We’ve seen agencies retaliate. Judges look the other way. Families suffer. And worst of all, children fall through the cracks—again and again.

I’m not staying silent.

Our children deserve better.

It takes a village to move a mountain, and I’m calling on that village now—to rise, to speak, and to demand reform. Not just for the kids I’ve loved, but for every child still stuck in a system that too often fails them.

Let’s be the change.
Let’s do better.

✍️ Please sign our petition: https://chng.it/tJ868CPJyQ

— Kathie Anderson
Standing with all foster and birth families who refuse to stay silent.