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| Lea Coats speaks to the Legion about her organization after Post Adjutant Thomas Drapac presented her with the Lifechanger Award Photo by Jerry Pickard |
On Saturday, August 11, 2012, American Legion Starr Sutherland Jr. Post 227 presented its first Lifechanger award to Everett resident Lea Coats, gave her a gift certificate to the Seattle Space Needle, and celebrated with a luau.
Mrs. Coats was nominated for the award by Mrs. He Youn Lee for helping her when she was in need.
Mrs. Coats is a Case Coach for Safe Families, which provides temporary homes for children whose families are in crisis and need support and a safe place for their children.
When parents are facing jail time, fleeing from abusive spouses, becoming homeless, or other situations that are stressful to the family and the children, her organization finds temporary homes for the children until their parents are able to care for them again.
Safe Families started in the Chicago area several years ago. Coats' church, Brookview Community Church in Lynnwood, was the first to host a Safe Families family in Washington State.
"As a Case Coach for the program, I help train host families, meet with the families in need and walk them through paperwork. I help find out what their needs are and how we can best help them get to a better place. Then I help get the children into the Safe Families and continue to provide support for the families once the children are placed there.
"The program is not foster care. These are cases that do not rise to the level of abuse or neglect that would warrant the state being involved. Our hope is to be a safety net for families that lack support and help them get back on their feet as quickly as possible. The children are placed voluntarily by their parents. Their parents retain full guardianship. And the host families are also solely volunteers, there is no financial compensation for the care they provide."
The Life Changer award will be presented on an annual basis.
Lea and her family are a blessing to the Safe Families movement. Lea humbly gives tirelessly of her time and talents! Her husband John and thier children actively support her efforts.
ReplyDeleteLea is doing an amazing job getting this program off the ground and running. She shares her passion for children and their well being with her loving and supportive husband. So glad to see that she received this award!!
ReplyDeleteLea thanks for all you do to make this world a better place!!