KIRO Radio’s Holiday Magic raises over $500K for foster children

In 12 hours, KIRO Radio listeners helped raise $509,171 to bring the spirit of the holidays to foster children in Washington.

Make a donation here

Throughout KIRO Radio’s broadcast on Wednesday, from Seattle’s Morning News to the Ron & Don Show, volunteers took your calls and donations for Treehouse. It’s an organization that helps get foster children the basics needed to succeed in school and to provide little extras that make a childhood special.

KIRO Radio called on many special guests to help make the day special and they gladly answered: Seahawks QB Russell Wilson, Sounders players, chef Tom Douglas, Mariners Manager Eric Wedge, The Dusty 45s, other local singer-songwriters, and of course, current and former foster children stepped up to encourage people to give.

See the photos

When a child enters into the foster care system, there is often little warning. They are frequently taken out of their homes without being able to pack their clothes or even grab their backpack.

These little girls and boys are in the system through no fault of their own. Ninety-five percent of children in the foster care system are there because of abuse or neglect.

Daqwuaya Finley, a senior at Seattle University, is one of the lucky ones. But when she was just a little girl, she was taken away from her abusive mother.

Her Great Aunt was licensed for foster care, so Daqwuaya was able to stay in the same home for 11 years. On average, children in foster care are moved to a different placement twice a year.

Daqwauya saw them come and go from her home. Some of the kids would stay for just a few days.

“I can make an effect on their life for that weekend, and that’s it,” remembers Daqwauya. “They move on to the next home, and I hope that their next home is better or their families are stable enough to take care of them.”

Now, as a young adult, Daqwauya says she runs into those other foster children once in a while. Whether she knew them for a weekend or for years, she says they are her family.

“I don’t have my actual siblings, so it’s just great that I actually had the chance to live with other people. Even though we’re not blood, I still see them as family,” says Daqwauya.

Even though she was always a straight-A student, Daqwauya says she always knew where to go when she did need help. Whether it was preparing for a big test or putting together her college applications, Treehouse’s tutors and mentors were always there to keep her on the right track.

Daqwuaya is just one of the thousands of foster children Treehouse has been able to help toward their goal of high school graduation.

This time of year, their focus turns from the classroom to the Christmas tree. Treehouse collects gifts and donations to ensure every foster child has a present picked out especially for them to open on Christmas morning.

You can also get involved right now here.

KIRO Radio’s Kim Shepard contributed to this report.