Fostering Fannin

A good time was had by all!

Chimp-or-Treat is next weekend. We'd like to thank Fostering Fannin, Fannin County Barking Buddies, Homeward Bound Pet Rescue, INC, Blue Ridge Community Theater Sunny D Children's Theater, Blue Ridge Trout Unlimited, and Artemis House that are hosting treat stations.
We still have some availability Sunday to host treat stations. Email [email protected] if you'd like community visibility for your organization and take part in the festivities!

Through Fostering Christmas, we are helping connect children and families with holiday gifts and support.

NEED Christmas assistance? Complete a Christmas wish list form for each child in your care. Visit fosteringfannin.org/families-in-need to get started.

Want to HELP? Contribute toward fulfilling a child's Christmas wish list. Contributions accepted on our website (fosteringfannin.org) via PayPal, Venmo Donate or you can mail a check to Fostering Fannin, P.O. Box 141, Blue Ridge, GA 30513.

An afternoon of shopping by some of our grandmas in the Family Care program, followed by a delicious dinner at Southern Charm!

Thanks for helping us make this twice yearly event happen for these selfless caregivers!

We are delighted to share information about our upcoming "Swan McKnight Scholarship Fundraiser" at Copperhill Brewery.

Join us for line dancing, a special "Swan" brew, raffles and celebration on November 30th.

The $5 cover, proceeds from the raffle, a percentage of sales, and sales of t-shirts and coozies will all help Fostering Fannin offer this scholarship for the 2026-2027 school year.

And as always, you can link to our website (fosteringfannin.org) to donate or find us on Paypal and Venmo Donate. Checks can be mailed to P.O. Box 141, Blue Ridge, GA 30513.

💙 Honoring Swan McKnight: A Legacy of Advocacy, Love & Service
💙
It is with both great joy and bittersweet emotion that we share some very special news.

Fostering Fannin is honored to establish a scholarship in the name of our co-founder and former Executive Director, Swan McKnight.

Since its inception in 2022, Swan has poured her heart into Fostering Fannin and into advocating for children and families in Fannin County. Her leadership, compassion, and unwavering commitment to at risk children and their families have left an incredible mark on our organization and our community.

The Swan McKnight Scholarship will help individuals who have experienced foster or kinship care, or who are living in an “at-risk” situation, pursue their educational dreams. The scholarship will be available to Fannin County high school students, homeschooled students, students who have earned a GED, and those already enrolled in post-secondary education. Recipients may use the scholarship toward vocational, technical, or trade schools, as well as two-year or four-year college degrees.

This announcement is especially meaningful because Swan is currently facing a serious health concern. She has stepped down from her role as Executive Director but will remain on the Fostering Fannin Board for the foreseeable future. While this chapter is bittersweet, we are incredibly grateful that Swan will continue to be part of the organization and the work she helped build.
Now, we have an opportunity to honor Swan by creating something that will carry her name and her legacy forward for years to come.

🎓 Our goal is to raise $25,000 by December 1, 2026, to fully endow the scholarship and award it for the 2026–2027 academic year.

If Swan has touched your life, inspired you, or made a difference in the lives of children and families you care about, we invite you to join us in honoring her legacy.

💙 Please consider making a donation today.
Donations can be made through our website at www.fosteringfannin.org, PayPal, or Venmo. Checks may be mailed to:
Fostering Fannin� P.O. Box 141� Blue Ridge, GA 30513

And please SAVE THE DATE! 🎉
📅 Monday, November 30, 2026�📍 Copper Hill Brewery/Distillery
Join us for a fabulous evening of dance, drinks, and celebration as we come together to honor Swan and support this very special scholarship.

More details will be coming soon on our page and website.

Help us turn Swan’s legacy of love and advocacy into educational opportunities for the young people of our community. 💙🎓

Fostering Fannin | Blue Ridge, GA Fostering Fannin serves and supports children and families within foster care, kinship care, and those at risk of entering the child welfare system in Fannin County. Our OrganizationWe believe every child deserves the resources and stability they need to thrive. Learn More Our ImpactThrough the supp...

What an incredible story!

And what a performance last night. I wanted to hug him when he walked off the field and you could read his lips saying “Thank you.”

He grew up in foster care.

Tonight the Atlanta Braves play an elimination game against the Philadelphia Phillies, and the man taking the ball first quit baseball to work at a 7-Eleven.

Ray Kerr went to Hug High School in Reno, a program that has won 27 games since 2008 and lost 245.

He had been to exactly one major league game in his life, a Giants and Athletics game in Oakland when he was 13.

He pitched two years at Mendocino College and went 3-7 with a 4.60 ERA.

So he quit. Went home to Reno. Took a job at the IMAX theater and a job at the 7-Eleven.

Here is how he describes it.

"I cleaned up a lot of popcorn. I said, I'm done cleaning up popcorn."

And the other one.

He "stocked the shelves in the cold fridge, listening to my music, kind of forgetting about baseball."

He thought that was the rest of his life.

Then a junior college coach named Eric Perry called him.

"Let's go back to school. Let's go to Lassen Community College. I still think you have baseball left in you."

Here is the part that matters most.

Somebody had to pay for that school, and Ray Kerr grew up in foster care. The woman who paid was his foster mother, Lisa McCarthy.

In his words.

"She's the one who gave me all these opportunities to go back to college, to pay for it if I actually wanted to."

He had to earn a 3.5 GPA to get in. He earned it. Then he went 7-4 with a 3.45 ERA over 91 innings.

That summer he pitched in Alaska against Division I hitters and put up a 1.11 ERA, and his fastball started doing something it had never done.

"I thought I could only throw maximum 92."

It kept climbing into the mid 90s.

The Seattle Mariners signed him as an undrafted free agent in August 2017. Four years later they traded him to the San Diego Padres, and in April 2022 he walked onto the mound at Petco Park and struck out Justin Turner, Max Muncy and Chris Taylor in order.

He called his foster mother first.

Then in June 2024, with the Atlanta Braves, he tore his elbow and needed Tommy John surgery.

Career over. Again.

They re-signed him on a minor league contract. He did not throw a major league pitch again until August 17 of this year.

Since that day he has a 1.47 ERA, and left handed hitters are batting .174 against him. Which is why he is getting the ball tonight with Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper due up in the first.

Now the honest part. He is an opener, not a traditional starter. He may face six hitters and hand it off. The Atlanta Braves are doing this because of matchups, not sentiment.

But a kid from a high school that loses 90 percent of its games, who stocked a cold fridge at a convenience store and figured that was it, is throwing the first pitch of a win or go home playoff game.

He is done cleaning up popcorn.

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Yes, his wife is Candace Broce, head of GA DFCS whose primary mission is to ensure child safety. And yes, the same head of DFCS whose agency had a $85 MILLION dollar deficit last year and cut services to children in care.

And yes, their children were in the car with him when he tested four times the legal limit.

And no, she did not have a background in child advocacy prior to her appointment as head of DFCS.

Husband of GA’s Child Welfare Head Pleads Not Guilty to DUI Nearly a year after his arrest, the husband of Georgia’s child welfare agency director has pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence and child endangerment charges.  Jason Broce waived […]

Congratulations to Appalachian CASA on another outstanding Red Shoe Party on a beautiful evening at Chateau Meichtry.

Happy to be able to support this event for the last few years.