Tammie Webb, co-founder of OCJ Kids

Tammie Webb has a heart for helping hurting foster children

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When Tammie Webb looks at children in foster care, she does not see victims of trauma. She sees future leaders, difference-makers and overcomers.

For nearly two decades, Tammie has devoted her life to helping some of the most vulnerable children in Arizona to find healing, hope and a renewed sense of worth.

“Every child in foster care has experienced some form of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),” Tammie said. “They come to us hurting, dealing with layers of abandonment, abuse and separation. But we choose to see them for who they were created to be.”

Tammie and her husband, Gary, were youth pastors for 23 years before a chance encounter set them on a different path. While ministering in a neighborhood filled with transient families and absent parents, they started an after-school program to provide a safe space for teens. Relationships blossomed, and seeds of change were planted.

“One Sunday morning, a woman walked into church with children who obviously were not hers,” Tammie recalled. “Gary felt like God was telling him, ‘You are going to work with these children.’ We found out they were living in a group home – not a foster family – and knew we had to do something.”

Building a lifeline for foster youth

In 2005, Tammie and Gary launched what would become OCJ Kids, beginning with simple events, like a back-to-school celebration and Christmas party. By 2010, they stepped away from youth ministry to focus full time on supporting foster youth.

“We started asking, ‘How can we help? How can we create impact?'” Tammie said. “Since then, we have built relationships with about 160 foster group homes and 37 Department of Child Safety field offices across Arizona.”

Today, OCJ Kids provides essential resources at every stage of a foster child’s journey. From “cuddle bags” containing a blanket and teddy bear to ease the trauma of removal, to hygiene kits, pajamas and life skills training, their programs are designed to restore dignity and lessen the emotional scars children carry.

“Everything we do is focused on lessening trauma or creating dignity,” Tammie explained. “When children are removed from horrific environments, they often have nothing. We want them to know from the very beginning that someone cares.”

Restoring dignity for teenage girls

One of OCJ Kids’ most innovative programs is the Restoring Dignity Room, a sanctuary for teen girls to learn about their bodies and reclaim their sense of worth.

“We had girls coming into our office wearing bras that were too big, too small, or sometimes not wearing one at all,” Tammie said. “As a woman, a poor-fitting bra affects how you feel physically and psychologically. Add to that the fact that 90 percent of girls in foster care have been sexually abused, and you see how vital it is to help them reclaim their bodies.”

In the Restoring Dignity Room, girls learn how to size and fit themselves for a bra, receive personal hygiene products, and get a journal to encourage healing. OCJ Kids hosts events where professional women share their stories to inspire the girls.

“It is about wrapping them in dignity,” Tammie said. “We want them to know they can overcome their past and step into a future filled with hope.”

Thanks to recent funding, OCJ Kids is expanding the program into a mobile outreach so girls in northern and southern Arizona can also access these life-changing resources.

Preparing teens for adulthood

As children age out of foster care, the transition to adulthood can be brutal. Without strong support systems, many end up homeless or incarcerated. OCJ Kids works to prevent that outcome by offering life skills training, financial literacy courses, and employment preparation.

“Statistically, about 60 percent of kids who age out of foster care end up homeless or in jail within a year,” Tammie said. “We want to change that narrative.”

The organization hosts an annual Adulting Summit, where teens meet employers, build resumes, participate in mock interviews and explore opportunities in trade industries. OCJ Kids also offers a 13-week apprentice-to-permanency program to train teens for careers right after high school.

“Many of these kids will thrive better in trades than in universities,” Tammie noted. “If we can get them certified and working by 18, they can step into independence with confidence.”

Another critical program is providing aged-out youth with cell phones. To keep their service active, teens must call in monthly and check in with a mentor, which creates a vital lifeline of support.

Staying committed through every season

With only nine staff members in Phoenix and one in Tucson, OCJ Kids operates on an astonishingly lean structure. Every staff member shares the same DNA: a deep, abiding passion for serving foster youth.

“This is not a job; it is a mission,” Tammie said. “We cry with these kids. We fight for them. We walk beside them through court cases and life transitions. We are committed to staying until they are ready to walk on their own.”

Funding for the organization comes entirely from private donations, corporate sponsorships and foundations. OCJ Kids also participates in Arizona’s tax credit program, which allows residents to direct money they would normally pay in state taxes to qualified charities.

“Friends do not let friends pay Arizona state taxes,” Tammie said with a laugh. “If you are going to pay taxes anyway, why not direct those dollars to change the life of a child?”

Creating community beyond Arizona

The vision of OCJ Kids is spreading beyond Arizona. Tammie and her team have trained individuals in several other states, including Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Oregon and North Carolina. In 2024, they traveled to New Zealand to train leaders there in adapting their model to support families in crisis.

“Wherever the door opens, we go,” Tammie said. “There is such a need around the world to support children in vulnerable situations.”

A mission for life

Although Tammie dreams of one day handing off leadership to the next generation, she has no plans to ever stop serving.

“When you stop giving, you start dying,” she said. “I want to be like my dad who, at 83 years old, still hikes glaciers and shares the love of Christ wherever he goes.”

For Tammie, the greatest reward is seeing the ripple effect of hope.

“We have seen girls who were pregnant teens in foster care go on to break the cycle of abuse and raise healthy families,” she said. “We have seen kids who fell away come back years later to reconnect. Those moments remind us that every hug, every toothbrush, every word of encouragement matters.”

Tammie believes that in heaven, she will meet countless people whose lives were changed because someone cared enough to see who they were created to be.

“Until then, we will keep showing up,” she said. “Because every child deserves to know they are loved and their future is worth fighting for.”

For more information

People can learn more about OCJ Kids and connect with Tammie on these platforms:

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