Give BIG to The Mockingbird Society

Help me support young people. 

I am on the Board of Directors of The Mockingbird Society, an advocacy organization dedicated to transforming the foster care system and ending youth homelessness. Mockingbird partners with young people who have lived experience in the foster care system and homelessness to elevate their voices, inform policies and practices in child welfare systems, and advocate for meaningful change. 

For Mockingbird's GiveBIG 2025 campaign, I have set a goal to raise $2,000 to support Mockingbird's work. Support the advocacy efforts of young people by making a gift today!

Your gift for GiveBIG 2025 will provide tangible support to young people in the following ways...

• Building skills as changemakers by providing compensation for young people to engage in advocacy and learning opportunities. Gifts from GiveBIG will fund stipends for young people, making it possible for them to attend chapter meetings, advocacy workgroups, feedback sessions, engage in opportunities with our community partners, and contribute to our youth-centered publication, The Mockingbird Times. Funds raised during GiveBIG will also support learning opportunities for young people, including training and curriculum to support their personal development.  
• Building resources for our 2025 Youth Leadership Summit. Gifts from GiveBIG will support young people as they plan and prepare for Youth Leadership Summit in early August. During the Summit, young people will have the opportunity to speak directly with political and agency leaders, present their ideas for solutions to challenges they face, and garner support for their advocacy work.
• Co-creating community by creating Affinity Spaces for young people. These spaces will provide additional opportunities for young people to practice hope, self-advocacy, and community. Gifts for GiveBIG will help to bring mental health professionals to these spaces, provide food for young people attending, and cover the cost of venues and community building activities.

More About The Mockingbird Society

Over the years, Mockingbird has won 70+ major policy reforms in Washington state, changing the outcomes for over 200,000 children, youth, and families and prompting more than $252 million in state investment in services and support. 

Mockingbird focuses on positive youth development in support of advocacy—being visible and vocal—which has been identified as a “protective factor” for at-risk youth and young adults. Our community-building activities support our young advocates by bolstering their confidence in their abilities, values, and voice. The skill of self-advocacy is powerful in building youth's leadership and awareness that they can have a role in not only improving their individual circumstances, but also enacting societal change.