Team (List) | UpsideDown Moments

Our Team

Our nonprofit is powered by a passionate and dedicated team united by a shared commitment to supporting children in foster care, at risk youth, and youth who have aged out of the system. Our staff and volunteers bring a wide range of experience in social work, nonprofit leadership, education, and lived experience in the child welfare system. Together, we work to create meaningful programs, build strong community partnerships, and advocate for lasting change. We believe every young person deserves stability, connection, and the opportunity to thrive—and our team is here to walk alongside them every step of the way.

Founders 'Why'

UpsideDown Moments was founded in March 2019 after my husband and I began training to become foster parents in the fall of 2018. Throughout the training process, I became aware of a significant gap in resources available to children entering foster care in Loudoun County. I knew there had to be a way to help make one of the hardest days in a child’s life a little less overwhelming.

That mission became deeply personal when we welcomed our very first foster placement the same month UpsideDown Moments was founded. She arrived with nothing but the clothes she was wearing.

Imagine experiencing the trauma of being removed from everything you’ve ever known—and then realizing you don’t have pajamas for the night, a toothbrush to brush your teeth, a blanket to keep you warm, or a stuffed animal to hold onto for comfort. No child should have to face that experience alone.

What began as a desire to provide comfort during a child’s first night in foster care has grown into a nonprofit serving children, young adults aging out of foster care, and families across Virginia. Today, UpsideDown Moments provides essential resources, life skills education, mentoring, transportation assistance, housing stability support, and advocacy—ensuring that vulnerable youth have the tools, encouragement, and opportunities they need to build brighter futures.

Our mission is simple: to remind every child and young adult that they are seen, valued, and never alone.