Treehouse is a Seattle-based organization dedicated to helping children and young adults in foster care. The average foster youth experiences 3 placement changes during their time in foster care. Moving placements is disruptive, and sometimes the emotional upheaval can create academic and social struggles, causing students to fall behind academically.
According to Treehouse, less than 50% of youths in foster care graduate from high school. With the help of generous donors and volunteers, Treehouse provides academic and other support essentials to more than 7,000 youths in Washington State’s foster care system.
In addition to their robust academic support, Treehouse operates a “wearhouse,” providing foster care youths with access to new and like-new clothing, shoes, toys and other items. Youths are given the opportunity to shop the items in the store and are allocated a number of items throughout the year. These items are intended to provide them with confidence to learn and participate in school.
The Treehouse staff rely on the work of the volunteers to help sort through the hundreds of donated items. They also work closely with the community to ensure the items in the store reflect current trends and fashions. A group of Freestone volunteers spent their Friday assisting in the Treehouse “wearhouse”. Following a quick overview of the organization and sorting tutorial, the volunteers set to work sorting items received that week from the local community.
To learn more about Treehouse and what they are doing in the community, please visit their website.