Candace Schmitt | Relationship Manager

My job is to work with both the “aged out” foster youth as well as the mentoring individual or family. My goal is to assess the youth and pair them with the best mentor match possible. Ideally, we want to establish a lifelong bond. In addition to that, I work hand-in-hand to see that our mentors have the right training and that the youth is receiving the best guidance and relationship possible.

I am passionate about caring for children in the foster care system because I experienced the feeling of abandonment as a teenager and it had a large impact on my life. My husband, Keith, and I have fostered children of all ages, including those close to “aging out.” We recognized that there is no faith-based support set up locally for foster youth after the age of 18 and that is what inspired Wild Oak Haven.