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
Founder and Executive Director
Ariona Cook
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 specific factors that lead to a worsened quality of life among 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 Communications Committee of the Public Interest Law Association. In her free time, she does theater, sings in the Duke Chorale, reads, and plays chess.
Director of Digital Strategy
Jake Makela
Jake Makela (he/him) is a nonprofit communications and operations professional focused on legal advocacy and community organizing centered around queer and trans thriving.
Alongside his roles on the boards of RFHI and Kansas Association for Social Housing (KASH), he currently works as an Office and Program Assistant for Douglas County CASA, helping connect volunteer advocates to kids involved in the child welfare system. In his free time, Jake illustrates, animates, and writes.
Director of Communications
Jojo Katsbulas
Jojo Katsbulas (he/they) is an alumni of the University of Kansas, Class of 2023, with Dual Degrees in Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies, and Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences. Their award-winning senior capstone, Something About Space Dude: An Auto-Ethnographic Study on Queer Identity Formation, built a foundation for his career to draw inspiration from.
Since graduation, Jojo has focused their efforts on platforming the experiences of the LGBTQ+ Community via their website, SNSTVDUDE Productions. In 2024, they released their debut independent publication, The Inevitable Queer, serving as a living auto-biography; And in 2025, they launched the Kansas Trans Oral History Project.
Professionally, Jojo seeks to engage with their community on the front-lines: formerly serving as Braided Haven’s inaugural Shelter Manager, and now in Independent Living Case Management. Regardless of a title, Jojo is committed to amplifying community voices that are often unheard.
Director of Outreach and Partnerships
Kaitlynn Sedich
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.