We are honored to name Olive Crest as the Rylee + Cru Foundation Grant Recipient for the month of April.
At Rylee + Cru, April holds deep meaning as we recognize Child Abuse Prevention Month. A time to shine light on the importance of safe, nurturing environments for every child. It’s with full hearts that we continue our partnership with Olive Crest, an organization whose unwavering commitment to strengthening families and protecting children inspires us year after year. As one of our grant recipients again this year, Olive Crest’s work beautifully aligns with our mission to care for and uplift the next generation. We are honored to support their efforts and to stand alongside them in bringing hope, healing, and brighter futures to children in need.
Read our Q+A with Director of Development, Jamie Olson, to learn more about Olive Crest and their mission and impact.
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Q+A
Q. What are the most pressing challenges facing at-risk children and families today?
A. Many families today are walking through incredibly heavy seasons, often quietly. At‑risk children are frequently surrounded by instability, trauma, or moments where the adults who love them don’t have the support they need. Poverty, homelessness, mental health struggles, isolation, and a lack of community can all compound, making everyday life feel overwhelming.
What’s important to remember is that many parents in crisis don’t lack love. They lack resources, rest, and people to step in when life feels impossible. Olive Crest exists to meet families in those fragile moments, offering safe homes, education, encouragement, and the steady reminder that no one is meant to carry hardship alone.
Q. Can you share a success story that highlights the impact of your programs?
A. One story that captures the heart of Olive Crest’s impact is Karen’s.
Karen became a mother at a very young age and spent years navigating housing instability, domestic violence, and the quiet exhaustion of parenting without support. She did everything she could to provide for her children, but without a safety net, the weight of survival often left her depleted physically, mentally, and emotionally.
When Karen connected with Olive Crest, she found a community unlike anything she had ever experienced. During a critical season, her children were lovingly cared for by an Olive Crest family, giving them safety, consistency, and space to simply be children. That support gave Karen the breathing room she needed to heal, regain stability, and begin rebuilding her life.
Today, Karen and her girls are flourishing. They have stable housing, steady employment, strong education, and their home is rooted in something that once felt out of reach: true hope for the future. What began as a season of survival became a turning point, showing how care, compassion, and people willing to show up can change everything.
Q. What role does community involvement play in the success of your organization?
A. At Olive Crest, community is the heartbeat of everything we do. We believe that healing doesn’t happen in isolation; it happens in living rooms, around dinner tables, and through everyday people choosing to care.
Olive Crest families, volunteers, donors, staff, and neighbors each play a vital role. Sometimes involvement looks like opening your home; other times it’s offering a meal, donating monthly, or walking alongside a family for a season. Every act matters. When communities show up together, children experience safety and families are reminded they are not alone.
Q. What are some misconceptions people have about foster care or adoption?
A. One common misconception is that foster care or adoption is only for families who feel perfectly prepared or have everything figured out. In reality, children need stability, compassion, and consistency far more than perfection.
Our families come in all shapes and sizes. All it takes is one safe, loving adult willing to say “yes” to opening their heart and home to children in crisis, from families with children, to empty-nesters, to roommates and individuals willing to welcome children into their home.
Another misunderstanding is that foster care always leads to adoption. Often, the goal is reunification: supporting parents as they heal and helping families come back together. Foster parents serve as a loving bridge during a tender chapter, offering safety and belonging while a family finds its way forward.
Q. What are your goals for the future, and how do you plan to expand your impact?
A. Olive Crest is pursuing bold growth across the Western United States, so that every child can be safe and loved. Our goal is to have served 1.2 million children and families by the year 2030.
Looking ahead, Olive Crest is deeply focused on prevention: coming alongside families earlier, before crisis becomes trauma. By expanding programs that strengthen parents, provide short‑term safe care for kids, and build community around families, Olive Crest hopes to keep more children safe and connected to loving adults.
In a critical step to combat sex trafficking, Olive Crest has launched a comprehensive initiative for the Prevention and Restoration of Minors impacted by Sexual Exploitation (PROMiSE). Already, we are seeing powerful results as teens find safe spaces and caring adults who can help them take steps towards freedom.
The vision is simple and beautiful: strong families, safe children, and communities that continue to show up with consistency and care for the long haul.
Q. What message would you like to share with those who may be considering fostering or supporting at-risk youth?
A. When it comes to caring for children in crisis in our communities, we believe that everyone has a part to play.
You don’t have to change everything to change something. Even small yeses with your time, your home, your encouragement and support can become life‑changing moments for a child.
For many families, this work is also a way of shaping their own children’s hearts, teaching empathy, generosity, and what it looks like to care beyond ourselves. When we create space for children to feel safe and loved, we’re weaving hope into the future we all share.
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We are proud to support organizations that are making a positive impact in the lives of children and families. Submit an application to recommend a 501(c)(3) non-profit making a difference in your community and each month we’ll select one to receive a $10,000 grant in your name.
Thank you for joining us in this important work.
