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We Raise Hope Foster Parent Conference

Thank you for a successful conference March 14-15, 2025!

Thank you for joining The Buckeye Ranch for our 2025 We Raise Hope Foster Parent Conference on March 14-15, 2025! We focused on creating connections, support, and education for all licensed foster parents alongside world class speakers and fantastic community partners who were available to share information and resources.

Stay tuned for more information about our 2026 We Raise Hope Foster Parent Training Conference in spring of 2026!

meet resources in the community!
network with fellow foster parents!
connect with leaders from Buckeye Ranch Foster Care team!

Thank you to our speakers who joined us in 2025!

Isaac Etter

Isaac Etter is an adoptee and social entrepreneur. Isaac was transracially adopted at the age of two. He founded Identity, a startup focused on helping adoptive and foster families thrive. At Identity, Isaac is working on re-imaging post-placement support for adoptive and foster families. Isaac uses his story and deep passion for adoption and foster care education to bring relevant, quality, and diverse resources for adoptive and foster parents.

Isaac has used his story of being adopted to curate deep conversations about race, identity, and adoption. With his unique insight, Isaac has been able to curate impactful discussions about adoptions’ impact on children and how parents can help their children navigate identity and racial identity development. Isaac specializes in helping child welfare professionals and parents understand the unique challenges and joys involved with transracial adoption/fostering.

Brice Mickey

Brice Mickey is the inaugural Vice President of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at Beech Acres Parenting Center and serves as the chair of the DEI Committee. He came to BAPC with 12+ years’ experience as an award-winning JEDI consultant where he worked with over 200 organizations across the country to help them achieve their equity and inclusion goals. Additionally, he is excited to be leading a DEI learning community on behalf of the Ohio Children’s Alliance beginning in January 2025 for their 90+ member agencies.

He was born and raised in Cincinnati, OH where he graduated from Walnut Hills High School and later earned his BSIT from the University of Cincinnati. It was there he realized his calling for dialogue around diversity and inclusion after participating in, and later directing UC’s nationally recognized Racial Awareness Program (RAPP).

After leaving UC, he went on to advocate for trans youth at Living with Change and from there went to Public Allies Inc to manage a trans-national cohort of underrepresented leaders involved in AmeriCorps apprenticeships.

Thank you to our community partners who joined us in 2025!

NAMI

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) for Clark, Greene, and Madison Counties. NAMI serves members in our community who struggle with mental illness. They offer support groups that are peer led, grief support group, educational classes, and also have an on-site “drop-in” center where clients can come to feel like they are part of a family. They engage in community outreach events, college campus events, and events throughout our communities during the year. NAMI wants everyone to know that they are valued and loved. Mental health is just as important as physical health.

Learn more.

OhioKAN

OhioKAN is a flexible and responsive kinship and adoption navigator program designed to support children, youth and their families. Building on the premise that families are inherently capable of finding solutions to the circumstances and challenges they face, OhioKAN is a free service that takes an inclusive, engaging, and genuine approach to strengthening families and their networks.

Learn more.

Nationwide Children's Hospital PREP Program

The Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) is a statewide initiative aimed to reduce unintended pregnancy, HIV and sexually transmitted infections in the state of Ohio for young people ages 14 to 21 who:

  • reside in foster care or the juvenile justice system
  • attend an alternative, vocational, career or technical school
  • are pregnant or parenting

The Ohio PREP Statewide Initiative is funded by The Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF), Family and Youth Service Bureau (FYSB) and administered by the Ohio Department of Youth Services in partnership with the Ohio Department of Health and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

Learn more.

questions about the conference?

Please contact Sophia Keller, Recruiting Specialist, at skeller@buckeyeranch.org!

Learn more about our Foster Care Program
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