With green leaves sprouting and flowers in bloom, we reflect on a busy and inspiring month at Step Up Parents. In April, thanks to generous community support, we received several grants and donations that will allow us to help even more kinship families. We celebrated being selected by 100 Women Who Care Seacoast for their quarterly award. We also launched plans for our biggest event yet—our Step Out and Step Up fundraiser this September. Most importantly, we continue to stand alongside incredible caregivers like Chris and Nicole, whose story you can read below. Their love and resilience remind us why our mission matters every single day.

Thank you for being part of the Step Up Parents community. We couldn't do it without you!

Kinship Care Story: Fictive Caregivers Seek to Adopt 9-Year-Old Battling Brain Cancer

Chris and Nicole (names changed for anonymity), both 54, stepped up to care for their best friend's daughter, nine-year-old Rachel, due to her parents’ ongoing struggle with substance use disorder. Rachel, who is blind and battling brain cancer, is now in the process of being adopted by the couple. Step Up Parents assisted this heroic family by contributing to their oil bill.

"Chris and I would like to thank you so much for the assistance," Nicole wrote. "It helps in a BIG way! We have not received foster care reimbursements for over two months, so this is extremely helpful. They’ve given us a food voucher here and there, so this is just one less thing to worry about this month. We appreciate what you are doing to make the lives of foster and kinship families better!"

Step Up Parents is thrilled to invite you to Step Out and Step Up, an extraordinary evening of celebration and impact! On Saturday, September 20, 2025, we will host an evening fundraiser at

The Envio Hotel in Portsmouth to benefit kinship caregivers.

This special night will feature a dinner, speaking program, awards ceremony, silent auction, music, and dancing. It will be an evening filled with hope, community, and generosity, all in support of kinship caregivers who have stepped up to raise kids affected by parental substance use disorder in New Hampshire and Southern Maine.

On April 24, 100 Women Who Care Seacoast selected Step Up Parents to receive a generous $10,000 donation. Each quarter, more than 100 members of this group of dedicated women from across New Hampshire and Maine’s Seacoast region each contribute $100, raising over $10,000 for a local nonprofit. This quarter, Step Up Parents was honored to be one of three nominated organizations, alongside Lucy’s Love Bus and No Brain is the Same.  

“This award will assist as many as 20 families in Rockingham and Strafford Counties, New Hampshire, and York County, Maine,” said SUP Founder Denyse Richter. “We are so honored to have been nominated alongside two other deserving charities.”

The HOPE Foundation recently awarded $5,500 to Step Up Parents to support programming and outreach to kinship families impacted by parental substance use disorder in the Upper Valley. Established in 2010 by Hypertherm Associates, the HOPE (Hypertherm Owners' Philanthropic Endeavors) Foundation is a public grant-making nonprofit dedicated to enriching communities through collaboration and compassion and inspiring sustainable, positive change. 

A longstanding women’s club that strives to enhance the lives of others through volunteer services and support, Exeter Area GFWC recently awarded $10,000 to Step Up Parents. “This money will go towards families in the Exeter region,” noted Denyse Richter, SUP Founder. “Partnerships like this with Exeter Area GFWC are so critical to our mission, because we are 100% privately funded—their support really makes a difference.”

At Step Up Parents, volunteers are integral to supporting kinship caregivers in New Hampshire and Southern Maine. Consider contributing your time and skills in the following roles:​

• Board Member: Provide strategic guidance and oversight by attending six meetings annually and actively participating in fundraising initiatives.​

• Advisory Committee Member: Offer your expertise to advise on organizational goals without the commitment of a full board position.​

• Mission Ambassador: Promote our mission within your networks, assist in fundraising events, and help expand our community outreach.​

Your involvement directly impacts the lives of kinship families. To learn more and apply, please visit our Volunteer Page.