Our Story

Chris Gathof

Chris Gathof is the Founder and Executive Director of The Ones Who Stayed Foundation, Inc. He is a former foster youth, an author, and an advocate who believes that children and families need practical support from people who are willing to stay consistent when life gets hard.

The Ones Who Stayed Foundation was created after Chris published his book, The Ones Who Stayed. That same week, he also lost the job he had been doing with youth and families because of state funding changes. The timing was difficult, but it also made the mission clearer.

In that role, Chris had to have painful conversations with children of various ages and explain that the time they had spent together, and the work those children had put in to trust one adult, was ending because another adult was leaving their life. For children who have already experienced loss, disruption, and broken trust, that kind of goodbye can feel like one more adult leaving.

The title of Chris’s book helped inspire the name of the Foundation, but the deeper reason was his belief that children need someone to stay. Not perfectly. Not with every answer. But consistently, honestly, and with a willingness to keep showing up.

The Ones Who Stayed Foundation was built from that belief. Our work focuses on practical, relational, nonclinical support for foster youth, former foster youth, foster families, and transition-age youth. The goal is simple: to help youth and families feel less alone, better supported, and more prepared for what comes next.