A new coalition of small businesses are teaming up to help foster kids during the back-to-school season.
More than 10,000 children are currently in the foster care system in Washington state and those students typically struggle a social and emotional battle their peers don’t understand. School supplies can be costly — and self confidence is priceless during adolescence. is an expanding network of businesses and service providers who are coming together to support foster kids and their families with reduced or no-cost services.Tommy Andrade has been offering for years and decided to increase his efforts when he realized the distances that foster families drove to get to West Seattle. So, he start a collaboration of businesses who could provide services throughout the region.
Andrade has partnered with Barber Jeff Chou and the pair is leveraging their network of contacts to expand the support services they can offer to foster families.Free hair cuts are being offered from Everett to Olympia and now many other services are being offered at no cost or at substantial discount for foster kids and their family, such as sAndrade says the foster care experience is personal for him as he grew up in Texas with several friends being raised in foster care.