WHO WE ARE & WHAT WE DO
What we do:
Mission
Our mission is to advocate for families of children with special needs; and foster/adoptive families (especially kinship families & members of the LGBTQ community) and connect them with the resources that they need to thrive as a family.
Vision
One day, all families of children with special needs; and foster/adoptive families will have the advocacy support & resources that they need to thrive as a family.
We serve several specific types of families
Special needs families
Licensed foster families
Kinship families - licensed & unlicensed)
Adoptive families
We do this through
Advocacy
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1:1 coaching
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Legislative impact
Resource connection
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Direct community connections
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Robust web based database
Education & training
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Encouragement
For more specific information about our programs, click here.
Who we are
Founder and Executive Director
Kim Taylor's (formerly Fargusson) career path changed dramatically in April 2017 when she adopted a 3 month old infant with a plethora of special medical needs (complete blindness, septo-optic dysplasia, optic nerve hypoplasia, panhypopituitarism, hypoglycemia, hypothyroidism, growth hormone deficiency, & severe autism).
After 10 years in Human Resources, Kim made the jump to opening Called to Love and just 8 days later, Called to Love's 501c3 status was approved. Her insatiable thirst for knowledge has driven her to obtain 4 Master's degrees including a Master's in I/O Psychology and a Master's in Learning, Culture and Society. She is currently a PhD candidate in Industrial Organizational (I/O) Psychology.
When she's not working with families, you can find Kim on a run with her pup Delilah, snuggling with her 6 (2 bio and 4 adopted- all under the age of 8) kiddos, sitting at a coffee shop sipping tea & writing, at the gun range, or on a patio somewhere eating charcuterie & drinking a good glass of red wine.
Advisory Board
Rosette Codner, Trisha Leger & Kim Taylor make up Called to Love's Advisory Board.
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Rosette Codner works for the Department of Child Safety (DCS) and has 5 biological + up to 4 foster children in her home at any given time. Her and her husband, Chad reside in South Tucson with their 3 dogs and cat. She also has multiple children in her care with special needs. Rosette enjoys bubble baths, reading, being outside & short hikes.
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Trisha Leger is a teacher & homeschool mom with 4 biological children, 2 of which have autism. Her and her husband reside in Sahuarita. She also enjoys making beautiful journals and crafting.
Graphic Designer
Jaci Santini has been working with Called to Love since before the beginning. She is a talented graphic designer, and an inspiration/encouragement to Called to Love. Jaci lives in Annapolis, Maryland with her husband, Vince, and dog Deros. If you're interested in using Jaci for graphic design work, feel free to contact her.
Executive Assistant
Open - pending grant funding
Grant Writer
Open - pending grant funding