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Shannon Vander Ark

Public Speaker - Olive Crest-Fostering Together

I am a former foster child who was placed in care at 7 & aged out of the system at 18. I was never allowed to be legally adopted by the last family who took me in at 10 because my birth parents rights were never terminated. I spend most of my life trying to hide the fact of where I came from. After being introduced to the Gospel through a Christian Family I accepted the Lord into my life at 13. There were no overnight transformations but slowly over time the fruits of the Spirit began to fill my life & the Lord began to heal my heart. 2 Corinthians 5:17 say’s anyone who is in Christ in a new creation. I was able to find a new identity one rooted in love to help me overcome my past.

I have spent the past 4 years volunteering for Olive Crest, traveling around WA State sharing my testimony in the faith community to recruit foster families. It is my passion & feel extremely blessed to be able to use my past to participate in His kingdom plan, helping families & saving children one family at a time. Since I first started speaking the Lord has opened many doors, and have had the opportunity to speak at a maximum security women’s prison as well as join the team for Focus On The Family and speak in different states for the Wait No More Conference.

Additional Resources

www.fosteringtogether.org (Under Contact Us tab then Speakers you will find a flyer that gives detail about me & why I share.)

Download flyer for Shannon Vander Ark

Speaking Themes

My passion is to engage the church & us as believers that the time to respond to the call to foster/adopt is now. To share about the healing & redeeming power that Christ can have in a child’s life. With Him and the support of a loving family, it is possible to break the cycle of sometimes generational abuse. I also hope to offer encouragement to families as well as foster teens traveling on this journey through workshops & trainings.

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