About Us
Rainbow Foster Home Initiative
Empowering foster families of LGBTQ+ youth with resources and community.
Vision
To create a reality where LGBTQ+ foster youth feel safe, supported, and free to express themselves to the fullest extent.
Mission
Rainbow Foster Home Initiative exists to create safe, affirming, and inclusive environments for LGBTQ+ foster youth by providing resources, advocacy, and education for foster parents and care providers.
Our History
The Rainbow Foster Home Initiative (RFHI) began as a summer project in June 2025. While serving as an Organizing Fellow with Loud Light, Ariona Cook set out to create a pamphlet that provided foster parents with information on what it means to be open and affirming to the LGBTQ+ identities of foster youth they care for and local resources available to them as they navigate their ally journey.
During a particularly tumultuous time for LGBTQ+ youth following the passage of a series of anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the Kansas legislature, Ari sought to bridge the gaps in LGBTQ+-sensitive service delivery and training among child welfare agencies, which only continue to grow due to political pressure.
Today, the pamphlet service has transformed into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (est. August 2025) serving every county in Kansas and three counties in the Kansas City, Missouri area. While our signature resource continues to be "Open & Affirming Foster Homes" pamphlet, we have expanded our mandate to include (1) other curated resources on LGBTQ+ affirming parenting and the rights of LGBTQ+ foster youth, (2) trainings to agency staff and foster parents, (3) online advocacy that breaks down crucial research and current events, (4) policy tracking and analysis, (5) attendance at partner events, and (6) databases of resources, research, and literature to increase awareness of the pervasive challenges facing LGBTQ+ foster youth and spark change in the Sunflower State.
Meet the Team
Ariona Cook (she/her) is a Public Policy and Child Policy Research undergraduate at Duke University. Originally from Marysville, Kansas, Ari is passionate about community organizing, social justice, child and family welfare, and LGBTQ rights. She has channeled these passions through public service and direct advocacy with organizations like GLISTEN, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and Loud Light.
Ariona founded RFHI in August 2025. Motivated by her lived experience of discovering her queer identity outside of the care of her biological parents, she built RFHI to improve the wellbeing of LGBTQ+ foster youth through resources, education, advocacy, policy, and best practices. This work has led her to pursue an honors thesis that explores the quality of life of Kansas LGBTQ+ foster youth, which she is currently pursuing.
Outside of RFHI, Ari serves on the executive team of two Duke first-generation, low-income student organizations, the Associate Committee of the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Kansas, and the Board of Directors of the LGBTQ+ Foundation of Kansas.
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Founder and Executive Director
Ariona Cook
Kaitlynn Sedich (they/she) is currently an undergrad student at the University of Kansas, working towards a degree with majors in Political Science and Sociology and minors in Global International Studies and Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies.
In previous roles with advocacy organizations, Kaitlynn has prioritized work on restorative justice in schools, specifically getting rehabilitative practices implemented while funding teacher trainings in the USD497 district. She has also worked on Youth Trauma initiatives as a lead coordinator, where she conducted qualitative research and managed fellow advocates. Most of their efforts consist of establishing communication networks, whether through email, platform speaking, or group discussions. Additionally, Kaitlynn’s work as the Service Chair for the Dole Institute of Politics Student Advisory Board has led to successful volunteer initiatives in and around the Lawrence, Kansas community.
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Director of Outreach and Partnerships
Kaitlynn Sedich
Jake Makela (he/him) is a legal professional focused on child welfare advocacy, holistic legal practice, and community organizing. He is inspired and informed by his mother, a former public defense attorney turned Illinois Human Rights Campaign Administrative Law Judge, and his time working with Kansas Holistic Defenders, KU's Institute for Policy and Social Research, and Duke University Press's Transgender Studies Quarterly.
As a trans man and an aspiring public defender himself, he is particularly invested in holistic legal practices that move beyond punitive, carceral models, towards community care and collective restoration.
When he joined the board of RFHI in 2025, Jake worked at a Kansas CASA program, connecting and supporting volunteer advocates to kids involved in the child welfare system. Currently, he works for the state of Missouri as a legal assistant, supporting attorneys that represent Children's Division. In his free time, Jake illustrates, animates, and spends time with his two dogs, Peanut and Pearl.
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Director of Digital Strategy
Jake Makela
Are you interested in contributing to RFHI's mission of supporting LGBTQ+ foster youth and families?
Have interest/experience in managing expenditures, identifying grant opportunities, writing grant applications and reports, and reporting finances to the board?
Apply here!
Director of Finance
Could be you!
Are you interested in contributing to RFHI's mission of supporting LGBTQ+ foster youth and families?
Have interest/experience in developing, managing, presenting, and implementing programming?
Apply here!
Director of Programming
Could be you!