Our Beginning | Anne Walton's Story

In 2019, I attended a women’s conference with some friends and had no idea that my world was about to change. Before our first lunch break, I watched a short but impactful clip from our parent organization, National Angels. I listened to our CEO speak of the bleak statistics that our children in foster care face and as I looked around the room, I realized that not one person, including me had ever heard this information before. And I couldn't help but think - a lot of people must not know. I was shocked to learn that only 50% of our foster youth are graduating high school, only 3% of foster youth go on to graduate with a college degree, over 60% of our local homeless population has spent time in foster care, and as a country - almost 70% of our prison populations have spent time in care. The statistics were unacceptable - but I felt a bolt of lightning in my chest and just thought…I have to do something about this, I CAN do something about this. My name is Anne Walton and I am the Executive Director of KCMO Angels, an organization of passionate people that wrap community around children, youth and families experiencing foster care.

I flew home from that conference and shared with my family that I wanted to quit my corporate job and start a chapter of National Angels right here in Kansas City, Missouri. The support I received was overwhelming and amazing. In fact - it was that immediate support that reassured me every step of the way that I was doing the right thing. This was meant to be. Here we are, three years later, THRIVING! Launching a non-profit in January of 2020 right before a pandemic was not exactly ideal. I would be lying if I said I didn’t doubt what our future would hold. However the incredible people of Kansas City continue to show us that KC cares, and we are so needed. Since inception, we have served over 600 children and over 40 families. We have been able to wrap community, and intentional consistent support around not only these children and youth in foster care, but their caretakers as well. When caretakers feel supported, they can continue the very important work of fostering. When children who come from hard places feel seen and heard, they can start to believe that they can have any future they choose. And that is our hope for every child and youth experiencing foster care - to see a future full of hope and joy and love. Our programs aim to do that and we won't stop until we reach the 2,000+ kids in our community experiencing the foster care system.
Together as a city, we are changing the stats of foster care … one sweet child at a time.