Angels Foster Care is a nonprofit foster family agency founded in 2005. We provide safe, stable, loving homes for infants and toddlers in foster care throughout Santa Barbara County and Southern San Luis Obispo County. Angels Foster Care serves children from birth to age three and sibling sets to age five. Our social workers provide comprehensive training and intensive assistance to Angels Foster Care parents. Angels Foster Care families confidently care for their foster children knowing that they have the tools and support they need to provide the very best possible environment for a baby, toddler or sibling set.
Our Impact
Since our 2005 inception, we have placed 317 infants and toddlers in loving Angels Foster Care homes. Additionally, 159 of these children have been adopted by their Angels parents, 57 children were reunified with their parents, and 96 children were placed with an extended family home. Many of the children who were not adopted by Angels parents, or safely reunified with their parents, are being raised by their grandparents or other relatives.
What Makes Us Different
All Angels social workers have Master’s degrees and are experts in the needs of babies and toddlers who have experienced trauma. We focus on one stable home with no change in placement and allow only one foster child or sibling set per home at a time. We thoroughly screen our Angels parent applicants, require a full-time parent in every Angels home, and ask prospective parents to commit to caring for each Angels child for the entire time that he or she is in foster care.
We’re a Licensed Foster Family Agency
Angels Foster Care operates as a Foster Family Agency (FFA) licensed by the state of California to operate in Santa Barbara County and Southern San Luis Obispo County. We are a non-profit (501c3), private agency with offices in Santa Barbara and Orcutt, and serve local children newborn through age five.
It All Started With a Story
Meichelle Arntz, founder of Angels, became involved in foster care by volunteering as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) in Santa Barbara County, where she learned firsthand about local foster care, dependency court and the challenges faced in providing foster care to approximately 500 community children, many under age three.
Meichelle was assigned two young brothers and followed them through seven placements in her first year as a CASA. Imagine these little children moving seven times in one year, living with strangers and having no family and friends to count on. That is what Jack and Sam experienced right here in Santa Barbara County. Their emotional, physical, and psychological health deteriorated. Meichelle realized that there had to be a better way, and now there is.
Meet our Staff |
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Meet our Staff |
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Raechelle BowlayExecutive DirectorRaechelle Bowlay became Executive Director of Angels Foster Care in October 2024. Previously, she served as... |
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Jennifer MillsDirector of Operations & Social WorkerOriginally from the east coast, Jennifer moved to California in order to pursue her studies in social work at UC... |
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Heather AgrusaSocial WorkerHeather Agrusa received her bachelor’s degree from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo... |
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Marlene VelazquezSocial WorkerMarlene Velazquez, Social Worker, received her bachelor’s degree from Biola University in Psychology, Sociology, and Bible. Her degree... |
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Stephanie VegaSocial Work AssistantStephanie Vega joined Angels Foster Care in 2021. She earned her B.A. in Human Development and Family Studies at Cal State University Monterey Bay... |
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Elizabeth MossCommunications and Development ManagerElizabeth joined Angels in 2020. Originally from Los Angeles, she moved to the Central Coast in 2019 and feels grateful to call this beautiful region her new home. |
Meet the Board of Directors
Lori Baur
BSME, MBA Community Volunteer - President
Megan Orloff
EVP, Montecito Bank & Trust - Vice President
Michele White
Berkshire Hathaway Home Services - Secretary/Treasurer
Meichelle Arntz
BSN RNC ACCE - Director
Teressa Johnes
Consultant - Director
Jeanette Petrus Le Renard
PT DPT - Director
Linda Gallegos
MA, LMFT - Director
Linda Werner
JD Attorney At Law - Director
Anna Jordan
Assistant Professor of English, Westmont - Director
Kelley Barragan
Director of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Program (MCAH) - Director
Fundraising Committee
Angels Foster Care is grateful for the meaningful support of the many community volunteers who help to make it possible to carry out our mission to support the most vulnerable babies and toddlers in Santa Barbara County.
Sheri Mardiat
Danielle Bolster
Brittany Arntz
Shannon Neels
Kelly Bourque
Danielle Maxwell
Zoe Copus
April Leon Jacobsen
Mckenzie Scarborough
Charlotte Cross
Holly Murphy
Natalie Kunes
Erin Moy Vik
Summer Knight-Wahlberg
I live and own a business in Santa Barbara. I became familiar with child welfare services and the courts through my work as a volunteer in the Court Appointed Special Advocates Program. I was shocked to find that Santa Barbara County has nearly 600 children in foster care, and an extensive need for foster/resource homes. I have seen first hand the frequent change of placement of our community foster children, overextended foster families, and small children in shelter care rather than with parents in homes.
I wanted to help and began my research. That is when I found Angels Foster Family Network in San Diego and became acquainted with Cathy Richman. Cathy has put in tremendous effort and support to help us get going in Santa Barbara. Thanks to her and her amazing program. The Angels program in Santa Barbara changes the lives of our littlest foster kids by offering stable, loving, safe homes as long as needed with no placement changes while in the foster system.
With more than two decades working in the early childhood field, Raechelle keeps turning her expertise and experience into positive action on our Central Coast. Since 2013, Raechelle has served as the Director of the Early Care and Education Planning Council, an advisory body to the San Luis Obispo County Superintendent of Schools and County Board of Supervisors. Under Raechelle’s leadership, the Local Planning Council has grown in its initiatives to include Quality Counts, supporting early educators throughout the County, and We Are the Care, a grassroots advocacy coalition supporting early care and education. One of her first endeavors was engaging key partners in a local “Quality Counts” program for early childhood education, built off a national movement to provide a better system of support and professional development for early learning programs. Raechelle is dedicated to bolstering the broader community’s investment in child care and advocating for providers as essential and vital to the very fabric of our society and future. She loves her role helping to connect the dots, knowing that we must act on all fronts to address challenges within the industry, including the need for higher wages/professional compensation for providers, increased capacity, and better access to high-quality, affordable care for families, as well as more family-friendly workplace practices designed to ease burdens and improve balance for families and caregivers.
Raechelle has recently extended her reach and support for children, families, and caregivers in her new role as the Executive Director of Santa Barbara County’s Angels Foster Care.
Raechelle also serves as the Board President and Diversity Council Chair of the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce, is Past Chair of the San Luis Obispo County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, and member of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Paso Robles and Atascadero Branches.
Heather Agrusa, Social Worker, received her bachelor’s degree from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo in Communication Studies. Heather brings over 14 years of experience working with young children and their families through Tri-Counties Regional Center Early Start Program. She also has experience supporting at-risk middle school and high school students in her position as a school counselor. She holds a Master’s degree in Education with an emphasis in Counseling and Guidance from Cal Poly SLO with a credential in Pupil Personnel Service.
Elizabeth joined Angels in 2020. Originally from Los Angeles, she moved to the Central Coast in 2019 and feels grateful to call this beautiful region her new home. Elizabeth has extensive experience working in the nonprofit and social impact sectors in a variety of roles. Her work has primarily been focused in the areas of environmental policy, philanthropy and community development. Elizabeth has always possessed a passion for working with children and is deeply drawn to the meaningful work of child welfare. She believes children in foster care need members of the community to come alongside them, keep them safe, provide them with stability and show them love. Elizabeth is proud to work for an organization which serves as a champion for the most vulnerable babies and toddlers in the Santa Barbara County foster care system. Elizabeth graduated with her B.A. in Political Science and received her Master of Public Administration from the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. She currently serves as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) in Ventura County.
Courtney Carteret grew up in North Carolina. She joined Angels Foster Care and relocated to the Central Coast in 2019. Courtney earned a Bachelor of Social Work degree at East Carolina University and a Master of Social Work degree at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Courtney is an experienced social worker who has worked with children and families at schools in Greensboro, North Carolina, Littleton, Colorado and Bradenton, Florida. She supports Angels children and families throughout Santa Barbara County. Courtney also manages the Angels parent application and screening process.
Samantha Dayak joined Angels Foster Care as an intern in 2018. She accepted a full-time position as a Social Work Assistant in 2019 after completing her Bachelor’s degree at the UCSB. Samantha is responsible for supervising court ordered visitation between birth parents and their biological children. She transports foster children, works with biological parents during visitations, documents visits for case files and keeps Angels parents informed.
A transplant from the East Coast, I moved to Santa Barbara in 1989 to attend UCSB and have since never once thought of leaving. With undergraduate degrees from UCSB and a Master's in Social Work from UCLA, I have worked with several non-profit and government agencies in a variety of roles over the past 25 years. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, my practice has focused on early childhood mental health intervention, with an emphasis on supporting children and families who have experienced trauma and/or loss. For the past 14 years, I have also worked within the Juvenile Court and Dependency system in different capacities, first with Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and since 2008 with Angels Foster Care. Both of these experiences have shown me how one person or one family can make a significant, positive and enduring impact on the direction of a child's life. I feel fortunate to work each day with remarkable families in our community who have opened their homes and hearts to children in need.
