All Children Deserve Love, Support & Opportunities to Thrive
December 11, 2008
Tess Thomas
Seattle, Washington
“I was raised in a family of ten children, and my experiences in such a big, loving family are a main motivator for my work with children and young people,” said Tess Thomas, founder and executive director of Thomas House, a family foster home for boys ages 8 to 18. “I experienced some very lean days as a child, but my childhood was rich with love and family. It is my desire to share the love and belonging of family that I experienced that keeps me doing what I do for children every single day.”
Because of her own experiences, Tess understands the importance of providing vulnerable children and adolescents with stability, love, security, structure and guidance. “I started working with children just after graduating from college. My first job was working with mentally challenged children at the Olympic Center, in my hometown of Bremerton, Washington,” Tess recalled. She then established a tutoring program (H.E.L.P – Help Every Little Person) and went onto work for the Seattle Public Schools. Coupled with her personal experiences as a foster parent, this background informed her desire to work with, and advocate on behalf, of vulnerable children and youth in foster care.
Tess founded Thomas House in 1991. She cares for six boys at a time, and has helped raise over 100 children since Thomas House opened its doors. “Thomas House provides boys with love, counseling and structure – we focus on providing the highest quality services, a safe environment for youth to grow and flourish emotionally and academically and to welcome the involvement of parents and families as partners in this,” said Tess.
Thomas House was featured in a PBS documentary on foster care entitled Take This Heart. Tess’ work as an advocate for children has resulted in her receiving numerous awards and recognition. But it the interaction with, and love of, the children and youth that she works with that she finds most rewarding.
“These children and youth deserve the same opportunities, love, support and opportunities to thrive as all other children,” Tess says. “But the many moves from home to home, school to school and community to community; the separation from brothers and sisters; the uncertainty that they experience makes this difficult. What I strive to do with – and at- Thomas House is to provide the love, security, stability and guidance that these children and youth need.”
Recently, Tess spoke at a Congressional reception in Washington, D.C. commemorating passage of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoption Act into law. She provided introductory remarks for Representative Jim McDermott (D-WA), her Congressman and as Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee Subcommittee on Family Security and Income Support, a key author and champion of the legislation, and a powerful advocate for foster care system reform. Additionally, she shared her experiences running Thomas House and talked about the impact this new law will have on the lives of the children and youth she cares for.
“The new law will most benefit youths who come to me and are uprooted from everything they know,” Tess said. “It will assist young people in maintaining their education at the school where they are. All too often, children must be moved not only from their families, but from their friends and the relationships they have built in their young lives. I believe we operate in family, school/work, and our communities. I have used this as a measure in my work with children. As adults, when these domains are running smoothly, we are generally happy people. Imagine taking the domain of your family away and your work. It would be cause for great concern. Do that to a child and you create a devastating scenario. I teach my youths that school is their work. Education is sometimes the only way out of life styles that plague and undermine the success of children.”
Tess has just finished writing a book titled “The Love Returns” which describes her experiences at Thomas House. The book includes information about the lives of some of the children that comprise her extended family. The documentary,”Take This Heart” was a glimpse of the lives of the children I serve. “The Love Returns” goes more in-depth in describing their lives and the struggles they face. There are heartrending moments and moments of heartfelt laughter.
“I wanted to write a book that could be easily read and understood by the general public and those who work with children,” Tess said. “It is about children trying to find their way and their voice. It tells several individual stories of children and the way I assist them in rebuilding their lives. The book has been an incredible journey for me, and has taken about 10 years to complete. It is a testimony of the power of love.”
