The City Ministries CPA team is delighted to have Jenai join our team recently as our case manager. Jenai has been doing an exceptional job working with our foster families and children in care providing them with the support that they need! Jenai has a great educational background, experience working in communities around the world, and a heart for helping families and children in need.

To help us get to know Jenai a little better I had the opportunity to ask her a few questions below. Please take the time to read this and to make her feel welcomed to the team and appreciated for the hard work that she does the next time you see her!

Can you please give us a little background of your educational history and what brought you to work at City Ministries CPA?

• I received my B.S. in Cross Cultural Psychology from Western Washington University up in Bellingham where I originally went for Neuroscience if you can believe it! I then completed my master’s program at Northwest University here in Kirkland in International Community Development. In my master’s program I had the opportunity to work with people from all over the world, with vastly different backgrounds than my own and different life experiences. Working at City Ministries I am thankful daily that I was a part of that program as I have the opportunity once again to work, be in community with, and care for people who have had different life experiences than myself.

How has your experience been working with foster families and foster children been so far?

• I love working with foster families and the children in care so far! I’m amazed how abundantly generous the families are. I am so thankful for how open and willing the foster parents are to let people come into their home all the time. The families let us come into their home and building a relationship with them as well as the kids.
• I am also thankful that these families are willing to stop everything in their lives and care for those who are in need and provide a home and a loving environment where these kids know they will be safe.

What do you enjoy most about being a case manager?

• I enjoy going out and conducting Health and Safety Visits in person. Health and Safety Visits provide me with the opportunity to meet foster families, the kids and meet people face to face. Everyone has been so kind and supporting of their kids in care, it makes my week when I go out and see them.

What can be challenging in your work as a case manager?

• The most challenging thing is hearing the stories of what brought the kids into foster care. It breaks my heart when we hear about what these children have gone through.

What would you tell families that are considering being licensed as a foster family?

• I would tell considering families to constantly work on growing their fruits of the spirit going into being a foster family. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are going to be your best tools in foster care.