Natalie's Everyday Heroes: Washington Co. Foster Closet helps foster kids and community

 

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Right now, there are about 7,000 children in foster care in Wisconsin.

The call for a foster family to take in a child can come at any time, day or night.

That's why a group of women started the Washington County Foster Closet.

They help families get everything they need to make a tough transition a little easier.

"So, we sort, keep or go," Koa Dautermann said, as she and a group of volunteers started opening bag after bag of donated clothing.

At the Washington County Foster Closet, sorting is a full-time job.

"I mean, like, sometimes it's 12-hour days. I mean, its breakfast, pack a lunch and we'll get dinner maybe on the way home," explained operations manager, Colleen Mathisen.

The volunteers go through everything, organizing all the donations in their West Bend warehouse.

"It's almost indescribable," Dautermann said of the community's generosity when it comes to donating what they need.

So, when the time comes, it's easy to find what any kid might need.

"Almost anything that you can imagine that you would need, a swing, a bouncy seat, a car seat," she said. "We want to make sure that the kids go with at least two weeks' worth of clothing."

Dautermann and Shannon Siebert are two of the co-founders.

"It's a day that I remember vividly. It was a Sunday," Siebert said of the day she got the idea in 2017. "And I said, 'hey, this is what I'm going to do, does anybody want to do it with me?' And Koa's like, 'yep, I'll do it,'" she said with a smile.

"At the time, I didn't even know her," Dautermann said, but it didn't stop her from jumping right in.

They both know what it means to be a foster parent.

"Because when these kids come to you and you see them and what you have and don't have, and like the condition that they're in, oh my God. I know that. I feel that," Siebert said.

A feeling that comes from experience.

"Over the last eight years, I've had 13 kids in and out of my house," Dautermann said of her time as a foster parent.

Dautermann said they want families to feel supported.

"We want them to really just focus on taking care of the child," she said.

Inside the closet, you can find things for newborns all the way to teens.

"From toiletries to clothes and shoes, with a dressing room for them to try everything on," Dautermann said of the upstairs loft for the older kids. 

Mathisen, the operations manager, brings her kids to work right alongside her.

"My saying I say all the time is, if I don't, who will?" Mathisen said. "I used to be in the military, so I served our country. Now I serve our children. Our community. It's a calling that has just been nagging at my heart forever."

Through all of their work, the Washington County Foster Closet has helped more than 500 kids.

"We might be that one person that changes somebody's life," Dautermann said.

They also want to raise awareness about what people can do to help, starting with donating.

"It might not seem so important to some, but yeah, in that moment, just getting this stuff, it really does help," Siebert added.

They also encourage people to consider becoming foster parents.

"I am a full-time teacher. I'm a single parent. And I thought, you know, there's no way," Dautermann remembered initially thinking.

"And we just kept saying yes. Over and over again," Mathisen added.

The women help to ease a difficult transition, by fostering kids and community.

"It's hard, but it's beautiful. It's worth it. And it's needed," Siebert said.

If you'd like more information on the Washington County Foster Closet, you can visit their website, www.washcofostercloset.org, or their Facebook page.

If you'd like to nominate an Everyday Hero, send Natalie a message at [email protected].