News announcements don't always encompass positive things, but for a local Murrieta woman, her daily life consist of bringing positive energies to the almost 800 children she has fostered over the years. Our story will cover her journey as one of the most loved and cherished foster mothers of our local area.
Donna Wray and her husband have lived in Marietta for 27 years; at the time she had two children and further served the community as a full-time nurse. Donna and her husband hoped to have more children, but after discovering that this would to be impossible, they turned to adoption; but like many couples, the cost of adoption proved to be significantly high, discouraging them from pursuing the adoption process all together. That's when they turned to foster care.
Today the Wrays have one of the highest records in the social services realm in the United States, fostering 756 children during their lifetime, and it all started with one phone call to the County Social Services office, where she was informed that it was possible to adopt children under the care of the county and that foster parents were actually in high demand. Donna put both feet into the water and completed the required training by the county; 24 years later she would continue to open her door to foster children in the local area, making her a shining example of what can be accomplished when someone puts their heart into a project in the name of good.
Currently the Wrays are known as the founders of a local nonprofit organization dedicated to providing awareness and educating individuals interested in being foster parents to children like the ones Donna has helped raise. According to the Wrays, many individuals don't realize the needs these children often arrive at their doorstep with. The process of being in a state facility takes an emotional toll on these children, and often they arrive to a foster home and leave in a matter of months, taking little possessions with them.
Their organization, All About Kids, recently touched the hearts of a few teenagers in our town.
Every month the organization holds an event to unite current foster parents with those interested in becoming foster parents and encourage them to take a leap of faith. Last month the Wrays held their event at their Christmas party in French Valley, with the help of two of our teens who held a car cruise in order to raise money for the organization. Josh Madrid and Isaiah Valdez succeeded in raising over $900 for the event, which featured 150 cars in a cruise that started on Ortega Highway and ended in Huntington Beach.
The local community feels that the Wrays' organization is an important one because it raises awareness for individuals who may not know that they can be a part of raising a child in need. Often these children seeking a home do not have any possessions or a sense of feeling loved, and it's Donna's organization that provides new, prospective foster parents with the support and information they need in order to successfully help these children.
Donna Wray has inspired many individuals to follow her path including Michael and Hennie Monteleone, owners of the ranch and which the organization held their last event. Through the Wrays, they too adopted a child in need. Last year there were over 4000 children in our area in need of a loving home; to contact Donna Wray for more information about the organization or information on how to proceed with fostering a child in the Riverside area, call her at (951) 200-1852. Alternately you can visit the organizations website at www.AAKT.net
