My name is Tauni Hemminger, and I am the founder of Bridge the Gap, a non-profit community organization developed to enrich the lives of children in the foster care system. This program works in partnership with the Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS), a branch of the Washington State Department of Social Health Services, responsible for programs which include the protection of children from abuse and neglect, intervention in family conflict and crisis situations, foster care and adoptions. The Vancouver DCFS office is the largest office in its region, with approximately 100 staff.

    On any given day, there are approximately 350 children in out-of home placement in Clark County. Up to 2000 children are currently supervised by DCFS within their own homes. It would be impossible for DCFS to adequately serve all these children without community support. To quote the recent words of the DSHS Secretary Dennis Braddock, "we cannot single handedly save the world and the harder we try to do everything ourselves, the less successful we will be."

    Bridge the Gap has a vision to help "give every child a childhood". We do this by assisting DCFS in meeting needs and providing programs that many vulnerable children have never experienced. Things most children take for granted( clothing, a bicycle, school supplies, a baseball mitt) are often void in their lives. They can see themselves as someone other than a victim and are provided with tools for a happier and healthier life.