About Resource Collective

We have been working in the Tennessee foster care community in some capacity for over 2 years. In the spring of 2023, we began meeting with other like-minded hearts in the city to discuss gaps within the foster care community and discover how we can truly create change within Bradley and the surrounding counties. That evolved into helping start a support group for the foster care community, creating a Facebook group to connect families to resources, and eventually organizing events, providing practical support to families, and so much more. 
In our 2 years, we've served over 200 children, and over 100 families. Our goal is to see no family within the foster care community fighting alone.

One of the driving forces behind our passion at Resource Collective is the fact that the average foster home closes within one year of opening, with one of the most common reasons being due to lack of support.

We exist in hopes that one day, that statistic will no longer apply to our surrounding counties - that every family will feel the love and support of a village and be able to continue saying yes to vulnerable children.

Meet the founders

Kayla Gray 

Kayla has been serving the foster care community for over 2 years as cofounder of Resource Collective. She and husband, Jacob, were foster parents for 4.5 years, and they adopted one of their three children through foster care. Kayla's passion for serving children in foster care first began as she was moved by compassion by the deep needs she saw in this community through her work as a pediatric nurse. During her foster care journey, Kayla experienced firsthand how lonely and isolating the work of a foster parent can be, when a child's trauma is so immense that it takes everything we have to hold them together. Resource Collective was birthed out of that experience, and her desire to ensure that no family in the foster community has to do this journey alone. What began as a simple act of obedience to the Lord to see and meet the needs for the foster families in her circle has expanded to more than she ever dreamed. Kayla's heart is that each child served by Resource Collective is seen through the lens of Jesus, that they are not defined by their behaviors, but by who they truly are and have the potential to be. 

Jessica Howell

Jessica has been serving the foster care community for over 2 years as cofounder of Resource Collective. She has been an open foster home since 2023, and has a deep passion for children in the foster system. She has been part of the pastoral team at Living Word Church since 2013. She has served in various capacities, originally serving as the youth pastor for 6 years, while she currently oversees the children's ministry. Jess’ love and desire to serve families knows no bounds, as she is constantly serving other families and making sure they have what they need and feel supported, despite being a foster mom herself. Her passion is fueled by seeing how so many people in her "village” have surrounded her with support since she started her foster care journey, and she works to ensure every family knows the same love and support she has received, which has made such an impact on her journey. She has a big heart to make sure each child that comes through her home and that are supported by Resource Collective know that they are loved, ​heard, understood, and seen without judgement.