The Gift of Treehouse
Each year, as the New Year approaches, I find myself looking for people
and organizations that truly inspire me. I am a teacher-turned-foster parent who,
along with my husband, have welcomed over 125 children into our home over the past 20 years, adopted four beautiful children from foster care and raised three children by birth. I have written and published two books about children whose lives have been impacted by foster care. I like to be inspired and I’ve found a great source!
The Treehouse Foundation, which celebrates its fifth birthday as a non-profit in 2007, has been an inspiration to me and many other folks for the past five years and continues to win first place this year. This dynamic young organization is led by Judy Cockerton. Judy is a remarkable woman who has dedicated her 35 year career to enhancing the lives of children and families as a teacher, a businesswoman and the Founder & CEO of The Treehouse Foundation. She is a foster/adoptive parent as well as a parent by birth who understands, in a way that nobody else in this country seems to, that the answers to many of the issues children in foster care face come from dignity, belonging, connection,
enduring relationships, and an array of compelling new opportunities to reach their true potential within safe and nurturing environments.
After becoming a foster parent Judy chose to sell her businesses, took her expertise and considerable energy, and established a stellar non-profit to enhance the lives of children who experience foster care. She has been working quietly and diligently, crisscrossing the state of Massachusetts, to literally weave unique new safety nets, relationships and opportunities for children in foster care. With the soul of a collaborator, she has established partnerships to create fun new programs that entice many people who hadn’t ever considered being resources to children in foster care to become involved in her innovative Treehouse solutions. As a result, a grass roots movement has formed and people are expressing an interest in becoming a part of the solution. This is critical to the The Treehouse Foundation’s mission, which is to provide children in the public foster care system with enduring relationships by implementing innovative programs and practices. It’s a mission that requires people stepping up to the plate and it has Judy Cockerton’s spirit written all over it. When people talk about Treehouse, they frequently mention the upbeat, solution-oriented spirit it brings to the world of child welfare. That spirit is pure Judy Cockerton.
There is the Treehouse mission and then there is the Treehouse Vision. Judy spoke about The Treehouse Vision on national television to Dr. Phil last spring. She said her goal is to get the nation to turn around and embrace 800,000 of our country’s most vulnerable children. This bold vision is a hallmark of Treehouse leadership. It is a call to action. Treehouse, with its inspirational leadership, is leading the way by asking Americans to think about children in foster care in new ways, to become involved with Treehouse, and become a part of its unique supportive programs that instill dignity, and send kids in care the message that they are worthy of our investment.
Treehouse is a new kind of organization that is advocating for children who are invisible, stigmatized and considered unworthy. Judy Cockerton and her Treehouse Team are changing the world of foster care by creating a humane community centered approach that suggests we forget the stereotypes and create unique new opportunities for children and families whose lives are impacted by foster care in our backyards.
When Judy Cockerton became a foster parent the first thing she noticed was
what she calls “The Disconnect”. She says that her learning curve was “completely vertical” when she opened the doors to the world of child welfare. She recalls the first time she witnessed a social worker crying because she couldn’t find any homes to nurture six newborns whose parents were unable to care for them, listening to sisters and brothers who shared their stories of being separated from their beloved siblings, conversations with children who suffered the isolation and stigma of being in foster care, and the young man who was given $300.00 on his 18th birthday and driven to a homeless shelter by his social worker who wished him well. These daily lessons on the front lines over a period of years helped Judy fully comprehend the task at hand – to create a compelling Treehouse Menu of Engagement Opportunities that would heal the disconnect and turn the nation around so many more Americans would become resources to children rather than turning away from them.
The first entry on the Treehouse Menu of Engagement Opportunities was
the building of a beautiful new neighborhood in western Massachusetts. Treehouse began this amazing task by partnering with Beacon Communities in 2003 in order to build a multigenerational village where families adopting children from foster care would live with elders who act as “honorary grandparents”. This outstanding “permanency model” opened in June 2006 and there are now over 100 people living in brand new homes under Mt. Tom on Treehouse Circle. Treehouse community members range in age from 6 months to 85 years of age. This multigenerational neighborhood offers folks opportunities to connect 365 days a year: children who bounce from home to home, parents who step up to the plate to offer permanency, and elders who have life wisdom and time to share.
To create a solid new multigenerational paradigm for living in America, Treehouse has created a dynamic on-site team that is being led by well-respected and seasoned Community Facilitator, Kerry Homstead. They have also partnered with a regional social service agency, Berkshire Center, who along with Beacon Communities, provide on-site Treehouse staff members, bringing their social work and housing expertise to the this first Treehouse Center of Innovation. In addition, Judy Cockerton has partnered with a vast array of people, organizations and learning institutions such as Smith College, Hampshire
College, Holyoke Community College, Umass, Camp To Belong, Springfield State College, Mass Advocates for Children, and Westfield State College.
As I think about the thousands of children who will “age out” of the public foster care system in 2007 with little or no safety net under them I feel grateful that Treehouse is focusing on creating solutions for children on the front end of their foster care experiences. The majority of youth in care who “age out” of the system do not have enduring relationships. It is no surprise that these extremely vulnerable youth often end up in mental health facilities, prison and homeless shelters at a tremendous cost to their lives, society and future generations. Judy Cockerton and the Treehouse Foundation are dedicated to changing these outcomes. She has established a new paradigm for community engagement that has ignited the hearts and minds of citizens, philanthropists, foundations, civic leaders, institutions of higher learning, faith based leaders and people looking for inspirational leadership.
800,000 children are counting on us to give them the dignity, honor and safety nets they need. From where I stand on the front lines, I am inspired. Please support Judy Cockerton and The Treehouse Foundation as we move into the New Year and send a powerful message of hope to our most vulnerable children all across America. Show them that we consider them worthy of our time, our resources, and our compassion.
Kathy Harrison
author of Another Place At The Table and One Small Boat