Ampersand Families
Cause Area
- Advocacy & Human Rights
- Children & Youth
- Justice & Legal
- LGBTQ+
Location
1751 County Rd. B WSuite 300Roseville, MN 55113 United StatesWebsite:
http://www.ampersandfamilies.org
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Organization Information
Mission Statement
Ampersand Families provides permanency and adoption services to older youth and families who face barriers to equity in child welfare, and champions systemic changes that advance belonging, dignity and hope. Our vision is that every young person whose life has been disrupted by trauma and subsequent child welfare intervention will be restored to a safe, permanent family with an urgency that honors the brevity of childhood.
Description
Ampersand Families is the only adoption agency in Minnesota whose services are all aimed at providing permanency and adoption services for older youth and families who face barriers to equity in Minnesota's child welfare system - that's older youth (mostly ages 10 and older), Black, brown and Indigenous and GLBTQ youth. The agency provides child specific recruitment services to youth, training/home studies and support to relative and non-relative families, and consultation and training regarding equity in the delivery of permanency services.
Ampersand Families is committed to ensuring that youth retain connections to relatives, kin, community and culture even as they experience the heartache of being involved in the child welfare system. Whenever possible, we strive to achieve permanency with a relative or someone already known to the youth. We welcome non-relative families to the adoption process and support them to navigate the complex world of helping youth heal from trauma.
Ampersand Families provides adoption services through the Public Private Adoption Initiative (PPAI), funded by Minnesota Department of Human Services. The margin of excellence and innovation that are standard at Ampersand Families' are funded by generous foundation, corporate and individual donors.
We are also the home of Minnesota Heart Gallery--a statewide effort, benefiting from nearly 150 volunteer photographers, to promote awareness of waiting youth. Visit the gallery at www.minnesotaheartgallery.org.
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(December 16, 2013)
Wouldn't you love to be on a board with Laura (see her note, below)?
Ampersand Families is seeking board members with a passion for our mission and the ability to contribute about 8-10 hours a month to supporting our work. Board members are expected to attend meetings, participate in committee work and to support the agency's fundraising efforts.
Our board is especially seeking new members from outside the twin cities metro area in order to better reflect the communities in which we work. The board currently needs members with skills in communications, fund development, technology use for non-profits and legislative or judicial experience.
Ampersand Families is in the middle of a serious initiative to ensure that our board reflects the youth, families and communities we serve. With that goal in mind, the board particularly invites persons of color and persons from outside the twin cities metro area to consider exploring board membership at Ampersand Families.
(December 11, 2013)
I have served as a volunteer Board Member for the last 2 years. Here are some of the reasons why board membership has been so rewarding for me:
(1) Commitment to board development. A consistent agenda item is our own development as leaders. We make time to educate the board about the issues that are important to our mission, and to work on the skills we need to move the mission forward.
(2) A culture of courage, integrity, and hope. It's inspiring to work for an organization that is devoted to doing the right thing, even when it's the hard thing.
(3) The mission is so worthwhile. It's a powerful thing to insist that every young person, no matter his/her history of trauma, abuse/neglect, can be restored to a safe, permanent family.
(4) The transformation is exciting. Ampersand Families' model dramatically changes the odds for the youth it serves, and its innovations are transforming the field!
(5) Substance. No bureaucratic inefficiency.