Visibility for Foster Youth 

We saw this wonderful article from the Oregonian Newspaper and received permission to share! DEAR ANNIE(R)  BY ANNIE LANE  FOR RELEASE: MONDAY, APRIL 25, 2022  Visibility for Foster Youth  Dear Annie: Something not spoken about regarding oppression, disadvantages and privilege is the privilege people have when they have family.  I grew up in foster care, […]

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Adoption Done Right

Adoption Done Right By Br. Terry Taffe ofm Cap. & Ian Keldoulis   Adoption, done properly, yields miracles. Adoption, done improperly, frequently leads to disappointment for potential parents and ongoing misery for children in foster care. So, what’s the surest path to take? Downey Side’s fifty-plus years of experience creating forever families makes us uniquely […]

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Growing up with Downey Side

Spring is almost here, so while there’s still snow on the ground, I thought it would be good to look back at the highlight of the winter season for Downey Side—the annual Race For Kids held at Stowe Mountain in Vermont. The event, organized by the Financial Communications Society, has jumpstarted our fundraising for 22 […]

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Br. Terence Taffe speaks on “On The Town with Tonya”

Br. Terence Taffe, the Executive Director of Downey Side recently spoke on a podcast titled “On The Town with Tonya”.  Tanya chats with Br. Terrence J on his work at Downey Side and his love of working with homeless and foster youth. Listen to the podcast by clicking here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgEnZl9hisk

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Reflections on a Lifetime of Ministry & Service

Sr. Liz Engel, O.P. reflects on 30 years spent in service to children in need of families. As she retires from a long and beautiful career, capped by decades in Downey Side, she tells us of the beauty of her twin vocations of being a Dominican and a social worker. As a golden jubilarian of […]

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Siblings Together Forever

We are proud to say that our families fight to keep brothers and sisters together. It’s not uncommon for Downey Side families to take in two, three, or more, siblings at the same time. As you can imagine, this has a tremendously positive impact. It also means that children adopted through Downey Side skew older, […]

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America’s Youngest Hostages

The foster care system is hiding in plain sight all around you. That almost 500,000 children are without permanent, loving families isn’t a secret but how they live and what must be done to help them remains a mystery to most Americans. Written for people unfamiliar with children’s services, this book brings to light the […]

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Families Take Many Forms

Downey Side began in 1967, when Father Paul Engel brought Brian Champoux, aged sixteen, into the home of Margaret Downey. With this act, Brian gained a permanent family and Margaret became a single mother, at the age of fifty-eight. We’ve always understood that love gives families their shape. Today, across America there is a tremendously […]

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