09/06/2025
Foster Parent Spotlight: Aubrey
For as long as she can remember, Aubrey has had an instinct to care for others. She says it started with an overwhelming urge to become a mom, but her path to motherhood took a different turn. “I thought, if I can’t have my own right now, how can I be a mother figure to kids who are already here and need it?” That question, combined with her own childhood experiences, led her to fostering with OCP.
Aubrey grew up wishing someone had stepped in when things were not safe at home. “There were so many times I could have ended up in foster care,” she shares. “If it were not for my grandma, I don’t know what I would have done.” Her grandmother, Shirley May, who was also a foster parent, became Aubrey’s role model, showing up no matter the distance, the cost, or the difficulty. “She taught me to be selfless,” Aubrey says. “She made me feel like I could do something, that I could succeed. And now, I get to give that to the kids in my home.” Aubrey even changed her own middle name to “Mae” in her grandmother’s honor.
As one of the youngest foster parents in our agency, Aubrey brings a fresh perspective, but she is quick to acknowledge the value of working alongside more experienced foster families. “You cannot do this alone,” she says. “If you come in thinking you are going to parent exactly the way you have planned, you will be in for a reality check. You have to meet kids where they are and adapt to their needs. And you have to be open to changing directions.”
That mindset has shaped her home into a place of flexibility, humor, safety, and community. Aubrey and her spouse host regular “family dinners” that bring together friends, allies, and fellow members of the q***r community. These evenings are filled with good food, lots of laughter, and they often end with board games and arts and crafts. Her network is not just there for the kids, but for Aubrey as well. “Not everyone has that kind of support, and I wish they did,” she says. “Our friends have jumped in wholeheartedly, building relationships with the kids and showing up in ways that mean so much. They help with rides to activities, celebrate birthdays, and sometimes just sit and listen when things get hard.”
Those who work alongside Aubrey see the same warmth and dedication in her that the kids do. One OCP staff member says, “She is easily the most affirming foster parent I have ever seen. She goes out of her way to honor each child’s cultural background, makes sure they have opportunities that match their interests, and gives them creative freedom, even over their bedroom! She is warm and loving, but also knows how to set healthy boundaries. She didn’t always come in with those, but she built them, which is a skill in itself.” Another adds, “Aubrey goes above and beyond in every aspect. She is resourceful, she follows the model to a T, and she is passionate about doing this work the right way. She is bright, creative, and the kind of person you feel lucky to be around!”
Since starting her fostering journey, Aubrey has welcomed four full-time placements and plans to continue as long as she is able. “I have always felt I was put on this earth to do something bigger than me,” she says. “This is it. This is the bigger thing. This is changing lives.”
Even after children leave her home, they often reach back out. Aubrey gets texts about new jobs, school achievements, or just a quick “thinking of you” along with a smiling selfie. Those small messages remind her that the connection they built is still alive, and that the care she poured into them mattered. In those moments, she knows fostering is not only changing their lives. It is changing hers, too. As we watch her continue to grow in her role, building skills, deepening connections, and pouring her heart into every child who walks through her door, we are so excited to see all that her future as a foster parent will hold!!
This weekend is Grandparents Day, and we can’t think of a better time to honor the legacy that grandparents pass down. Aubrey’s journey shows how one grandmother’s love and resilience can ripple through generations; changing lives not only in her own family, but in the lives of foster youth today.
Here’s to Aubrey, and to all the grandparents whose love inspires us to do something bigger than ourselves.
