Kidsave has been awful to us and has been a complete nightmare. Since my husband made the decision to leave the program in June and left a negative review retelling our terrible experience, Kidsave has not stopped harassing us. The director of Kidsave, Lauren Reicher-Gordon, posed as a county social worker to us on multiple occasions and was constantly rude to us. Every time we talked to her, she would talk over us or put us down and we put up with it because we thought that she was a county worker and that we'd be in trouble with the county if we stood up for ourselves. While misrepresenting herself as a county worker, Lauren gave us wrong information, threatened us with 'severe consequences' if we attended county Resource Family (foster/adopt) training and told my husband and I that we were "stealing someone else's spot" in training, as if we didn't have a right to be there. As she was telling us all this, I put the phone on speaker and allowed multiple witnesses (clients of ours) to overhear the entire conversation, so she couldn't deny it later. She then passively tried to extort money from us by claiming that we purchased $500 gala tickets (and I kept the emails 'thanking' us for our 'purchase', in case proof is needed). My husband (who is African American) and I attended two events with Kidsave, after which Lauren Reicher-Gordon made a note to rudely and repeatedly put down my husband's appearance (he was wearing gray jeans, casual button down blue shirt and a casual sport coat), telling him that he should wear a t-shirt and jeans instead. It was so disrespectful that we were floored. Funny how I (Caucasian) was dressed nicely, but she had nothing to say about MY clothing. My husband looked great and we can wear whatever the hell we want, thank you very much. Since my husband left his review, they've repeatedly harassed us via email until we blocked their email domain. Then they sent physical letters to our home threatening us and even had their lawyers threaten us with a lawsuit if he didn't take his review down. Since that time, they've had their own employees leave Kidsave fake positive reviews for months and repeatedly attack my husband's character in these reviews. At the same time, our business began receiving fake negative reviews, all from the same person, over that same span of time. My husband is one of the hardest working people I've ever known. When he's not working, all he does is help people. He coaches people with anxiety and depression online, he volunteers to mentor and teach kids and he's always there when people need him. He's never asked for praise or even thanks (in contrast to the weird praise that they give Lauren in the fake Kidsave reviews - jeez, narcissist much?) and he would be an amazing father. Things were quiet for a while until my husband and I put through an inquiry to adopt two children. Suddenly, one of Kidsave's volunteer employees, Christopher Means, leaves a fake positive review for Kidsave and starts badmouthing my husband in the first sentence. In fact, he put down my husband's clothes again! Why is Kidsave obsessed with my husband's clothes? Should I be jealous? Contain yourselves, people....Another volunteer named Destiny also left a review that was nearly identical to Christopher's, but without badmouthing my husband. At the same time, an employee of DCFS who works in the adoptions division then left Kidsave a five-star review at the same time. Completely unethical and a conflict of interest, but we are genuinely concerned that they may be attempting to disrupt placement of any kids in our home out of vengeance towards us. If the director decides that she likes you, you may have a great experience with Kidsave. Heck, don't take our word for it, read one of the glowing fake reviews written by their own employees. But ask yourself what kind of human being pretends to be a county social worker in order to feel important, blatantly condescends and discriminates against one of the nicest people on Earth and then spends months harassing that person to remove their review? Oh yeah, it's called a 'narcissist'. If you love Kidsave, great. If you want to worship the director and feed her narcissism, WE DON'T CARE. LEAVE OUR NAMES OUT OF YOUR CORNY SOUNDING REVIEWS and let us get on with our lives, you obsessive weirdos. read more

Kidsave is an amazing agency. I have volunteered with them through their Weekend Host Program and the experienced gained is worth a lot. They match you with older kids in the system that are looking for hosts. The goal as a volunteer is to promote adoption and to promote/expose your kid to families and individuals who might be interested in adopting. The agency gives you the necessary training and tools for that. They also have events where both you and the child get to do different activities. i.e. The Grammy Museum, beach activities, sports, etc. Your commitment is only twice a month. It doesn't really have to be the whole weekend, but it could be one day two times a month or simply as having dinner/lunch with your kid twice a month. Also, if you have been thinking about adopting a child and you are not sure if you are ready for it, this would be the perfect venue to get your "feet wet". You get to host a child and develop a relationship with him/her. You get to see first hand how the "system" works and with time you might be able to predict the needs of the child and see if you are ready to commit to adoption. If it doesn't work out, at least you made an impact on a child's life. read more

A truly wonderful organization that is actively trying to place foster kids with host or adopted parents. They took a very difficult situation and came up with a smart solution - enable foster kids that are looking for temporary or permanent placement to get to know parents looking to adopt and let them hangout together at fun events such as hiking / trivia / bowling etc. The kids get to decide if they want to learn more about the adults which empowers these kids that often feel like they lack control in their lives. The founders of the program have been doing it for 20 years (maybe longer?) and they have a 40% success rate getting kids into homes which from what I understand is 10X higher than traditional models. read more

As a result of an challenging child on an international placement, I learned that Lauren can not be counted on for support or help but can be cold and cruel in dealing with challenging situations. Without going into details about a child which is confidential, she is accusatory without any basis for her suggestive statements, refuses to give details and leaves your home without the courtesy of a goodbye. After a year, I resigned from this organization not for any reason based upon the kids I met or for the CEO, Randi who was compassionate, but because of the lack of empathy, understanding or caring by Lauren during this incident. She simply does not show any understanding of juvenile psychology and cuts you loose in any situation that represents a challenge when an advocate is most needed especially on international placements. The concept of the program is worthy of much praise as it tries to help the older children looking for adoption. For that, I give credit to the co-founders. A great disappointment was the lack of updated and accurate information from Colombia on the child. Significant behaviors were overlooked and downplayed by the social services personnel in Colombia that were manifest here in the U.S. almost immediately. Everything I did for advocacy and health support for the boy was done because I cared for him and his unique situation. I can only hope that he found a family that will appreciate his talents and challenges. read more

We were really blown away by our first experience with Kidsave. We're a married gay couple recently-certified through another non-profit to foster/adopt, and our adoption manager recommended getting involved with kidsave as a way to meet some of the kids and learn more about the over all system. It's been a short time, we we're already hooked. The orientations and trainings are frequently offered via webinars, so you don't even have to leave your home or office to get everything you need. Then they have monthly meetings centered around fun activities that facilitate mingling among the kids and adults, the goal to match up prospective 'host' families who will eventually have the opportunity to spend time with kids one-on-one a couple of times a month for at least a year. We attended our first monthly event this weekend and didn't want to end. We had the chance to meet Lauren, who is heading up the program now and the liaison working with the county (ultimately responsible for approving the matches/hosting). More importantly though, we met many of the amazing kids who are in need of loving mentors and families. It gives you the chance to be on a kid's "team' advocating for him or her, letting the kid know you care without necessarily making a commitment as big as adopting. The only con so far is that it takes a while to get responses to emails, which is understandable because I know they are going through some staffing changes now, and their crew is not super huge to begin with. There are tons of volunteers though and they are all shiny, happy people ready to help you feel at home, interacting with the kids. We are already super excited about next month's activities and even working on raising funds for the annual fundraising hike. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a low-maintenance way to make a difference in the lives of kids. read more

I have been involved with Kidsave since its founding and it is an incredible organization. Those who know it best have formed a group called: "Kidsave Guardians". The Kidsave Guardians contribute enough funds to fully pay for the overhead and administration of the charity. Thus, any money anyone else gives goes 100% to program. And the program is amazing. One piece of the program was examined on an A&E mini-series called "The Day I Picked My Parents". It is still streaming at the A&E website and the Kidsave website. I have met so many kids that Kidsave has helped find forever families. Just as importantly, I have met many families that have been enriched by Kidsave kids. I am proud to help this organization. read more

Kidsave is a phenomenal organization. We were in the process to certify to foster-adopt when we got involved with them. They have a really unique and wonderful way of helping older, harder-to-place foster youth get involved with caring adults as mentors and potential parents -- in ways that empower the kids. Adults and kids get to know one another in activity-based settings that are enjoyable and low-pressure. Kids and adults alike, when they feel ready to get to know each other more deeply, can put in private forms that express this. This way, kids get a chance to choose the people they want to spend more time with. We've been with our host kid for a year and a half now. We're his legal Educational Rights Holder, his advocate and cheerleader, and his sense of family. He is with us for holidays, his birthday, weekends, etc. Kidsave has always helped us -- spending hours assisting us in helping our kiddo get the best services, education, and opportunities we can mobilize as a team to get him. He's grown in so many ways since we began to work with him through Kidsave, and we're so grateful for Lauren (the Program Director) and the entire program. read more

My partner and I have been attending Kidsave events (in LA) for 1 1/2 yrs. We've had nothing but positive experiences & always look forward to the monthly events. In our encounters, all the staff & volunteers have been helpful, honest & forthright. If you are unsure about who qualifies as a host family, I can tell you that there are many different types of "families" in the program. They are accepting to same-sex couples, single people, biracial, old/young. One of the things we love most about the model of this program is that the children have an active say in which people they want to get to know. Kidsave is not an adoption agency. They clearly state on the FAQ page of their website and during their training that they are a separate organization from the county. However, there are several DCFS staff who work closely with the Kidsave staff. The DCFS staff often attend the events & you are able to build relationships with them as well. Then, if you are interested in adopting a child they can connect you with the appropriate services at that time. While some people are looking to adopt, that is not necessarily everyone who participates. It's about meeting children and finding a match for a kid that you'd like to spend time with. You may end up being the only person in that child's life who is not paid to be there. I am sure that this program may not be the right fit for everyone but we are happy to be a part of it! read more

Kidsave is the most amazing organization. Not only are they the direct reason why my daughter and I are now a family, but they never ever stop advocating for their kids. They always consider the kids' best interest. They support their matches and are kind and smart and very experienced. I am blessed to be a weekend miracles family. Their events are fun and interactive and the families they recruit are mostly supportive people who just want to help kids. The most special part of Kidsave is that they are completely self funded. They get no government funds for finding families for older foster kids that the county struggles to even place . No other organization does this. Lauren Gordon, the Weekend Miracles Program Director is the best of the best. She knows how to solve almost every challenge with the kids and if she doesn't she always know how to find the answer. She is kind, and loving and the heart of the program. Kidsave is a remarkable and fantastic organization. They inspire all of us to consider helping these older and forgotten children in our community. Sari read more