Orphan Care Alliance Helping Families Thrive
Intervention is Key for Struggling Families Families don’t struggle because they don’t care. Most struggle because they were never given what they needed in the first place. In Kentucky, the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services utilizes an approach called Alternative Response, which focuses on supporting families early—before challenges escalate into crises. This model is proving effective because it …
Celebrate Foster and Adoptive Families
Beyond Applause When we think about celebrating foster and adoptive families, we often picture a moment at the front of a room: special Sundays, a name called, a few kind words spoken, hands clapping in appreciation. Those moments matter. Public recognition can be encouraging and affirming. Celebrating is easy when all we have to do is applaud or recognize obvious …
Debby Traffas: Family Outreach Coordinator
Meet Debby Traffas, OCA Family Outreach Caseworker. Debby Traffas has joined the Orphan Care Alliance team as a Family Outreach Caseworker serving the Salt River Trail region. She brings deep compassion, resilience, and a genuine love for connecting with families. Shaped by both faith and experience, Debby has a God-given ability to recognize unspoken needs. That intuition is supported by …
26 Ways to Get Involved with OCA in 2026
In no particular order 🙂 here are 26 ways you can get involved with Orphan Care Alliance in 2026: 1. Become a Life Coach: Mentor a youth (12+) with foster care or adoption experience for about an hour a week, helping them build life skills and healthy relationships. 2. Life Coach Events: Teach a class or life skill and/or host …
Amber Walsh: Family Outreach Coordinator
Meet Amber Walsh, our Family Outreach Coordinator. Amber Walsh has always had a heart for people walking through difficult seasons. Before joining Orphan Care Alliance, she spent years serving in ministries that cared for vulnerable adults. This included women experiencing homelessness, trauma, single motherhood, or even recovering from sex trafficking. But, over time, Amber began noticing a pattern: so …
How Your Giving Impacts Foster and At-Risk Youth
Double the Impact: Why Your End-of-Year Gift to OCA Matters in 2025 Year-end giving often comes from a place of reflection—what mattered this year, and how can I invest in what lasts? At OCA, we believe that 2025 is the moment to build for tomorrow. By giving now, you do more than support ongoing programs: you help set up transformation …
December 2025 Ministry Update from our Executive Director
Click here for more about OCA. Click here to impact vulnerable children and families in Kentucky and southern Indiana.
OCA Gateway: Thankful to Meet Needs for Foster, Relative and Adoptive Families Along with Those on the Verge of Crisis
What Does Hope Look Like? Sometimes hope looks like a crib delivered to a family with a newborn. Sometimes it looks like a bus pass that helps a grandmother keep her job. Hope can even look like a pair of welding pants for a teenager learning a trade. Recently, OCA Gateway volunteers carried hope into homes across Kentucky and southern …
Five Ways to Help Youth with Foster, Adoption, or Kinship Care Backgrounds Feel Belonging This Holiday Season
Five Ways to Help Children Feel Belonging This Holiday Season. The holidays are often described as “the most wonderful time of the year.” For many foster and adoptive families, however, this season can carry mixed emotions. While the rest of the world gears up for cozy traditions and picture-perfect gatherings, children who have walked through loss and instability may find …