Home

Beth and Mike Canfield

Title: 
Co-Presidents
Term: 
2010

Mike and Beth started as house parents in a group home for up to 10 severely emotionally and mentally disturbed adolescent boys on March 3rd 1983. While at the group home, in cooperation with DCFS, they developed their foster home to work with those youth stuck in the group care system. Their home has developed to where DCFS can place the child who would typically bounce between 25-50 homes before coming to them. In 1989 Mike started working as a Child and Family therapist and is now a Master Trainer and Consultant for the State’s Aggression Replacement Training Program.

Tess Thomas

Title: 
Vice-President
Term: 
2008, 2011

Tess Thomas is a long-standing Board member and does foster care in the Seattle area and fosters teens with a myriad of difficult backgrounds and situations. Tess’ home was featured in a documentary “Take This Heart” sponsored by the Casey Foundation to promote foster care and educate for public awareness of foster issues. Tess continues to serve in an advisory capacity on several boards and commissions regarding youth in out of home care. She has authored a book “The Love Returns”. Ms Thomas has been a foster parent for over 14 years.

Marci Miess

Title: 
Secretary, Reigion 6 Representative & Lewis County FPA President

As a Foster Parent for nearly 10 years, Marci has had the chance to advocate for other fostering families in her community, region and across the state.  She is active in her local Foster Parent organization, is currently a Region 6 Representative on the HB1624 Foster Parent Consultation Team and is anxious to contribute on a much broader level with her new position as a board member for FPAWS.

Dru Powers

Title: 
Region 1 Representative & FFK Support Specialist

I have been a licensed foster parent for 23 years and have had the pleasure of having teenagers in my home.  I particularly like the teens and they have taught me a lot.  Many have stayed past age 18 and gone to college and several have returned off and on when they needed a safe place to be.  I took the Professional Foster Parent course that was offered several years ago at Spokane Falls Community College with many other foster parents and appreciated the additional training.  I have been employed - as a Support Specialist - for the past several years by

Mary McGauhey

Title: 
Board Member
Term: 
2010

Mary McGauhey is a foster parent in Region 3 who cares for Developmentally Delayed Treatment Foster youth. Mary is a volunteer on the task force for educating foster families concerning the mental health system through the Bright Futures grant. She has been a therapeutic foster parent for 13 years and has fostered for over 35 children specializing in developmental delays and mental health issues. She developed and coordinated a respite program for children from families impacted by mental health issues with Compass Mental Health.

Jamie Beletz

Title: 
Region 5 Representative
Term: 
2006, 2009

"I love my community, my state and my country.  But there are the injustices. For example, children in foster care and the professionals who care and nurture them, deserve far better treatment than what they are getting now. We desperately need a change of climate and culture in our foster care system,” says Jamie Beletz, Chairman of the Gateways Foundation for Youth and Families and Region 5 board member of the Foster Parents Association of Washington State. "At least here I can make a real difference in the lives of childre

Lila Rose

Title: 
Region 2 Representative & coordinator-Families for Kids
Term: 
2010

 I was  a foster parent for over 30 years. I am now the Region 2 coordinator for Families for Kids. My job is to support caregivers who have children in out of home care. I also support Adoptive , pre-adoptive parents and kinship providers. I attend any meeting that  you feel you need someone to be with you. I believe caretakers need all the help they can get. I don't always have the answers , but will do my best to find  out what you need to know.

Nancy Schrader

Title: 
Region 6 Representative

Nancy is the mother of 10 children 5 of whom were adopted through the Washington State Foster to Adopt Program.  Nancy has an extensive background as a foster parent being first licensed in Indiana in 1976.  Nancy has been employed as a Home Support Specialist for Children's Administration, a liaison for foster parents and a welfare eligibility worker.  Nancy has been training Pride Pre Service classes to potential foster, foster/adopt and kinship care parents for the past six years in Bremerton, Port Townsend and Port Angeles as a licensed contractor.

Mary-Jeanne Smith

Title: 
Executive Assistant 509-876-6245

Mary-Jeanne Smith is the contracted Exuctive Assistant for FPAWS. She handles the day to day tasks that keep FPAWS running smoothly. She also works with fundraising, grant writing and various other duties as needed. If your interested in becoming a FPAWS sustaining member or sponsor please contact her at 509-876-6245 or e-mail MJ@fpaws.org

Larry Smith

Title: 
Region 2 Representative & Marketing Committee Chair
Term: 
2007, 2008, 2009

 Larry & Mary-Jeanne Smith (Dayton,WA Region 2)