Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better do better. – Maya Angelou Ampersand Families offers our deepest condolences to the family and friends of George Floyd Though we offer condolences, we do so knowing that our thoughts, words or prayers mean little without our commitment to doing… Read more
Reaching for Healing, Equity, and Permanency; by Tori Hensley and Misty Coonce Being separated from birth parents or caretakers via the child welfare system is a traumatic experience for children and youth. Too often, being placed in out of home care means that children lose their connection to everything that is familiar to them; their… Read more
A couple of years ago a 16 year old young man, was referred to us for child specific recruitment. He had been in foster care since the age of 9, and his parents’ rights were terminated when he was 11. Over those years, he moved between foster homes and group homes. From the records we… Read more
Buddy Families – An Enriching Experience Have you heard of our Buddy Family program? Buddy families are just regular people in the community who step up to become part of the support network for an adoptive family. They get to know parents and their new kids, and help out by spending a couple evenings and… Read more
JOIN OUR TEAM! We are looking for a new PERMANENCY SPECIALIST – click here for details Ampersand Families is proud to be an employer of choice with an organizational culture of excellence that embraces humor, learning and collegial support. We employ professionals who are accountable for learning the skills, building the relationships and investing the… Read more
So, what is the 30 Days to Family® program? We know that every child entering the foster care system has a family and community. We as workers just need to find them! This is not always an easy endeavor, but the 30 Days to Family® program uses exhaustive and creative search efforts for family finding. … Read more
Did you know your purchases can make a difference? AmazonSmile donates to Ampersand Families when you do your holiday shopping at smile.amazon.com/ch/14-2004438… Read more
Give to the Max Day celebrates its tenth year of generosity in Minnesota- which coincides with Ampersand Families’ 10th anniversary of helping youth in foster care find permanency! Join others around Minnesota as they give generously to the organizations they care about. Your donation makes a difference in the life of a teen! Donate here… Read more
Donate with AmazonSmile! Amazon Prime Day is coming up on Tuesday, July 17 and will feature one-of-a-kind deals exclusively for Prime members. This a great time to shop at smile.amazon.com. AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon with the same products, prices, and shopping features as Amazon.com. The difference is that when you shop on… Read more
AmazonSmile Promotion AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon with the same products, prices, and shopping features as Amazon.com. The difference is that when you shop on AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate a portion of the purchase price of eligible products to the charitable organization of your choice. Now thru the end of March… Read more
Acceptance Comments Delivered at Voice for Adoption Reception Dirksen Senate Building, Washington, D.C. November 15, 2017 Thank you to Schylar, Melinda and the Voice for Adoption Board for your work – and for recognizing ours. Thanks, also, to the North American Council on Adoptable Children for your nomination. To the congressional delegation who is… Read more
The Children's Law Center of Minnesota named Ampersand Families' executive director, Michelle Chalmers, their Hero for Children in 2012, recognizing her tireless work striving to improve the experiences and outcomes for youth served by the child welfare system.
