Click here to check out one of our foster/adoptive families... Yana and Mike Powers on page 9 of the latest issue of Families First Magazine!

Dear Friends:

It has been a whirlwind of a month, with great events you’ll read about below, many grant applications written, and most importantly much incredible work done to help children and families in our community, as we do every day. The days growing shorter somehow feels as though we must squeeze as much as possible into the light, especially with sunny, warm days like those we had this past weekend. I confess I am one of those who basks in the sun, like a cat. I desperately miss it in the winter months. And with Halloween around the corner, and the holidays beyond, we begin to enter that largely sunless time in the north. It’s dark, and busy, and it can be a terribly stressful time for us all. When it starts to feel like too much, slow down and take a breath, let go of the small stuff, and rejoice in the people and things that feel like sunlight. And if you prefer precipitation, your time is coming, too!

Thank you for all you do to help us in our work and mission. I’m so grateful for each one of you.

Warmly,

Jenna and Lewis Genereaux have been providing compassionate, trauma-informed, culturally competent foster care in their Kingsley home for the past 3 years. Jenna, owner of Illuminate My Life Counseling, says that being in foster care herself when she was a child played a big part in her decision to become a licensed foster parent with CFS.

“Ever since I was a kid, I said I would end up doing foster care. Because of the trauma that I faced, being moved around, I wanted to provide stability that I didn’t have. It was confusing and traumatic. Luckily, I was able to find the stability I needed when I was adopted at age 7 and because of that, I’ve been able to succeed in life. I want to give that to someone else, even if it’s temporary. I want to be able to give them a good start.” 

Jenna’s husband, Lewis, also wanted to foster. Because he is a member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, the Genereauxs are considered a “Tribal Foster Home” by the state, putting them in the unique position of being able to provide specific care to Native American children. 

In 1978, The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) was passed in response to compelling evidence of the high number of Indian children that were being removed from their families by public and private agencies and placed in non-Indian families. The goal of ICWA was to protect the best interest of Indian children and promote the stability and security of Indian tribes and families affected by foster care. In cases when Indian children are placed in care, ICWA aims to place children in homes which will reflect the unique values of Indian culture. 

“Being a tribal home means we’re able to bring kids into our family and teach them about their own culture,” says Jenna. “We don’t have a preference, necessarily, for tribal kids, but it is nice to be able to care for them so they don’t have to be moved as frequently to try to find a tribal home. We would parent any kid—it’s just an advantage that Lewis has a strong connection to his culture so he’s then able to pass that to the kids we care for.” Some things that Jenna and Lewis do to instill a sense of cultural belonging include attending powwows, incorporating Native American traditions into holidays, eating traditional food, and keeping a lot of Native American art and symbolism in their home.

“We also teach our kids some basic Anishinaabemowin words,” says Jenna, “which helps them cultivate that cultural connection." 

“Dancing,” she adds, “is one of the most critical cultural pieces for Native Americans. Our daughter, Trinity, has a ‘jingle dress’ she wears and dances in at powwows. One of the kids we have now is 3 and she just loves Trin’s jingle dress. It was really special to see them dancing together at the powwow this summer.” 

When asked what the hardest part of fostering is, Jenna didn’t hesitate in her response: “Giving them back.” She says that, when the time comes for kids to be reunified with their birth parents, it’s extremely difficult. But the Genereauxs also know that there are always more kids waiting, and the need for foster homes is constant. “We continue to do it because we love the kids,” Jenna says. “You can never have too many kids to love on. We have the room, we have the mental capacity, why not?” 

When asked if it’s “worth it,” Jenna says, “For the child, absolutely. For us, the foster parents, it’s incredibly hard. But it’s not about us, it’s about the child. We give them a home where they’re loved, healthy, and safe. So yeah, I think it’s worth it.” 

Jenna, Lewis and Trinity Genereaux

In celebration of our 85^th year, we are highlighting a few of our veteran helpers. Many of these staff members have dedicated their careers to helping others in times of crisis, challenge, and life transition.

Foster Care Supervisor Kathryn Waldron earned her bachelor's degree in education from Eastern Michigan University in 1975. She was a teacher for several years before changing gears completely to work at a hospital as an occupational therapy assistant. After a while, she felt as though her career and life goals no longer aligned, and decided to go back to school to earn her master's degree in mental health counseling. She also got a divorce, moved to different states, and experienced religious and spiritual journeys that were deeply enriching for her sense of self. 

After receiving her graduate degree, Kathryn worked as a marriage and family therapist for 3 years in Ohio, and then moved to Newaygo County to work for Northern Family Intervention Services. In 1999, Kathryn was hired by Child and Family Services as part of their Family Group Decision Making team. Later, she took on her current role as foster care supervisor. Anyone who's worked with Kathryn will tell you that she isn’t just a supervisor punching a clock and making sure you’re doing your job. She’s a mentor– in every sense of the word. 

Kathryn is a warm person with wisdom that comes from a lifetime of experience. She makes you feel safe when confiding in her. She demonstrates an unconditional, positive regard for the staff she supervises. Doing the job of a foster care specialist is undeniably stressful and emotionally draining work, but when you’re with Kathryn you’ll never feel judged for sharing your most vulnerable feelings. Kathryn absorbs everyone’s distress, confusion, hopelessness, and somehow turns it around into something positive. 

Kathryn frequently talks about her spirituality and how it has intersected with her career over the years. Kathryn shared that she didn’t decide to go back for her master’s degree until age forty. This decision came after a lot of self-introspection, exposure to the arts, and following many different spiritual paths. She says that it’s important to always be on a “growth journey.”

Kathryn views her life purpose as closely intertwined with her work, which integrates her spiritual values in everything she does. Her main purpose in life has been to get fulfillment and meaning out of helping others. She values all people and their professions and feels spiritually called to be a helper. Kathryn is recharged by her interactions with those in need of guidance and seems to truly enjoy serving her community as a facilitator of human growth. 

Kathryn teaches us empathy by reminding us that all people are complex. Acknowledging that each individual has a background filled with trials and tribulations is a necessary first step in understanding how to best help them achieve their goals. She believes it’s important to listen and allow everyone to express their values to assist them in prioritizing what is most important to them, personally and professionally. The impact Kathryn has made on those who have been fortunate enough to have crossed paths with her over the years is immeasurable, and all of us at CFS are so grateful for her wisdom, selflessness, and continued support in our lives.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness month. Domestic Violence Awareness Month evolved from the “Day of Unity” in October 1981 observed by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. In October 1987, the first Domestic Violence Awareness Month was observed, and in 1989 the U.S. Congress passed the law designating October as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. In an effort to support survivors of domestic violence, Child and Family Services opened the Safe Haven program in 2004.

Safe Haven is a supervised visitation and safe exchange program for families affected by domestic violence, and it’s the only program of its kind in northern Michigan. The Safe Haven program provides a safe, supervised, age-appropriate, and friendly environment for children to visit with their non-custodial parent or exchange between parents. Since opening, Safe Haven has provided over 37,000 visits and exchanges, and helped over 2,200 children and their families. Our goal at Safe Haven is to remove stress from parents so that they can focus their energy on building and maintaining positive and healthy relationships with their children.

When relationship problems between parents escalate into confrontations and violence that the children may witness, the effect can be devastating, with long-term effects on the child. Exposure to domestic violence has been shown to cause emotional, physical and psychological harm to a child’s development. Children who have experienced domestic violence are more likely to suffer from mental health conditions such as depression, higher rates of drug abuse, sexual promiscuity, difficulty in school and negative interactions with law enforcement than children who have not witnessed domestic violence.

Safe Haven employees Justin and Kayla are making a difference every day.

The effects on children are so severe that witnessing domestic violence qualifies as an Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE). ACEs encompass various forms of physical and emotional abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction experienced in childhood. Roughly 70% of Safe Haven clients, adults and children, rate at least a 4 out of 10 on their ACEs screening. Scoring a 4 or higher indicates a higher risk of toxic stress and trauma. (Click for more information on ACEs).

Safe Haven strives to provide a safe space, free of conflict, to allow children to have positive and loving relationships with both of their parents. Through these supportive services and referrals to other resources such as counseling, Safe Haven hopes to mitigate the long-term effects for the children we serve. Intervention breaks the cycle of violence and helps prevent children from becoming perpetrators themselves. Safe Haven staff work year-round to mitigate the ripple effects of domestic violence, and to replace those ripples with love and empathy.

If you or anyone you know are experiencing domestic violence please contact The National Domestic Violence hotline at 800-799-7233, or our local Women’s Resource Center (WRC) at 

231-941-1210, or click to visit the WRC website.

Thank you to all who volunteered, donated and came out to celebrate our 85th Anniversary at Twin Lakes Park!

We are so grateful for the support and kindness of our friends—both new and old. Thank you to all the contributors who made our event such a delicious and fun success! We are extremely appreciative of all who contributed, especially our fabulous volunteers from Plante Moran who, along with Peterson McGregor Insurance, sponsored our event.

A special thank you to all who donated, played, or volunteered at our Annual Tee Up Fore Kids Golf Outing.

It was a beautiful day of golf for a great cause. Special thanks to our presenting sponsor Real Estate One Charitable Foundation, all event sponsors, and The Kingsley Club. We appreciate all who participated. It was our most successful golf outing to date! Donations keep many of our programs running. Each dollar helps make a difference in the lives of the children, teens and families we serve.

October 28,

4:00-6:00 pm

Come see our licensing workers at the YMCA Fall Family event! 3700 West Silver Lake Rd. Dress up (not required) and enjoy trick or treating, games, and more. Stop by to learn more about foster parenting.

Child & Family Services of Northwestern Michigan

3785 Veterans Drive, Traverse City | (231) 946-8975

3434 M-119, Ste F, Harbor Springs | (231) 347-4463

Pete's Place | (231) 922-4800

  cfs@cfs3L.org   |  www.cfsnwmi.org