Katie Moore is the UMFS Major Gifts and Campaign Manager at UMFS. She’s been with the organization for nearly nine years and currently is leading the Be a Champion Capital Campaign, which is helping fund a new residential treatment building in Richmond, as well as improvements to Charterhouse School and the UMFS campus. Follow along in the coming weeks as we share news and information about the Be a Champion campaign.
Katie, why do you choose to work at UMFS?
I’m truly passionate about the work I do with UMFS. I joined this great team when the opportunity arose because I really wanted to get involved with something that had meaning to me personally and also meant something to the community here in Richmond.
How do you summarize UMFS for people who are unfamiliar with the organization?
For those that may be unfamiliar with what we do here at UMFS, I think the mission statement captures our goal at its core — which is being a champion for children and families. But what does that mean?
I like to break it down into four categories so: our treatment foster care system; mental health treatment and facilities; our schools; and our in-home therapy services.
Our foster care services really support those children in the foster care system, as well as provides ongoing care, support, and therapy for the families. Our No. 1 goal for these children is to be successful and achieve permanency.
We also have two mental health programs in Virginia, one here in Richmond and one in Northern Virginia. These programs allow us to do some intensive therapy with those young people who’re struggling with emotional and mental challenges that can stem from trauma. It really allows them to work through those challenges they may be dealing with in a safe environment, and it allows them to rebuild their confidence and trust.
Our Charterhouse Schools (one in Edinburg and one in Richmond) include special education services for students who’re facing challenges and are unable to be successful in the public school system.
Our fourth area of focus is our in-home service care — so really that preventative work with the families, and after-care. Not only do we focus on care and treatment for the child in the midst of a particular struggle or challenge, but we do the work before and after to support those families at large.
And what do you tell others about the children, teens, and families that UMFS serves?
I think it’s so important for the community to understand that these kids and families are our neighbors. They’re real families that are faced with extraordinary challenges and need our help to get through it. They really need a champion, and that’s our purpose. If together we can give our time and money and invest in youth to create stronger families, that’s great for the entire community.
UMFS Volunteer Brittany Heare conducted this interview. Brittany is the Director of Client Services at ethnographic research firm Feedback in Richmond. In both her career and personal life, Brittany is passionate about working with people and cultivating meaningful relationships. She enjoys volunteering, hanging with her husband, 4-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son, and sometimes she escapes to the Outer Banks for some downtime at the beach.