Today we’d like to introduce you to CAITLYN BATEN.
Hi CAITLYN, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born and raised in Southern California, and my passion for advocacy and vulnerable communities really began when I took my first international missions trip as a senior in high school. That experience opened my eyes to how much of the world lives and sparked a deep desire to pursue meaningful, purpose-driven work.
I went on to earn my bachelor’s degree in intercultural studies with a focus on nonprofit work, and after graduating, I spent a year living in 11 different countries. During my time in Southeast Asia, I became increasingly aware of the global issue of human trafficking and felt strongly that I wanted my life and career to be part of the solution in ending modern-day slavery.
When I returned to the U.S., I joined A21, a global anti-trafficking organization, where I gained a deeper understanding of the realities survivors face. Through that work, I also began to recognize the strong connection between human trafficking and the child welfare system, as many survivors had histories connected to foster care and childhood vulnerability.
Around that same time, my husband and I began exploring foster care ourselves. After relocating to Texas through my work with the anti-trafficking organization, we became licensed foster parents as a way to work upstream in prevention creating a safe, stable home for vulnerable children before exploitation ever becomes part of their story. Since opening our home, we’ve adopted two children through the Texas foster care system, which has deeply shaped both my personal life and professional calling.
Today, I work for Buckner International, an international nonprofit organization that has a long history of walking alongside vulnerable children and families through foster care, adoption, family support, and humanitarian work. In my role, I have the opportunity to educate, advocate, and mobilize others around the realities of foster care, adoption, and family preservation while helping connect churches and communities to meaningful ways they can make a difference.
I’ve also begun the process of launching my own nonprofit, Both & Collective, which focuses on the beauty and complexities that exist within the foster care and adoption space. My heart behind it is to create more honest conversations, support, advocacy, and community for families and individuals navigating these journeys.
Overall, my story has really been shaped by a growing understanding that lasting change happens when people are willing to step into hard places, build relationships, and use their voice to advocate for vulnerable communities.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, but I think the challenges have shaped me in some of the most meaningful ways. One of the hardest parts of working with vulnerable communities and being an advocate is realizing that at some point, words alone are no longer enough. Eventually, you have to be willing to personally step into the work and that often means your life begins to look radically different.
For my husband and I, that looked like opening our home to strangers, navigating seasons where finances felt stretched thin because of our ‘yes’, living with uncertainty, and stepping far outside of our comfort zones as we built relationships with people whose experiences and lifestyles looked very different from our own. Foster care and advocacy work can be emotionally heavy at times, and there have absolutely been moments of exhaustion, heartbreak, and feeling overwhelmed by the magnitude of the issues.
But through all of it, I’ve learned that growth rarely happens in comfort. Some of the most life-changing experiences have come from stepping into hard places and simply being willing to show up consistently. I’ve also realized that advocacy is not about being the person who “saves” or changes others. Often, it’s the people you serve who change you for the better. That perspective has been incredibly humbling and has shaped the way I approach both my personal life and professional work.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Today, I serve as a Church Engagement Officer at Buckner International, where I have the opportunity to connect churches, pastors, and communities to meaningful ways they can support vulnerable children and families both locally and globally. A big part of my role is helping people move from simply being aware of needs to actually taking action. Whether that’s through foster care, adoption support, family preservation, humanitarian aid, mentorship, or advocacy.
Outside of my professional role, I’m deeply involved in the foster care and child welfare space personally as well. I serve on the board of the North Texas Foster Care Consortium, regularly share on podcasts, speak at events and panels within the child welfare community, and use my platforms to educate and encourage others around foster care, adoption, trauma-informed care, and human trafficking prevention.
What makes this season especially meaningful to me is that my professional work and personal life intersect so naturally. I’m not simply advocating for something because it’s my job, my husband and I are actively living it every day as foster and adoptive parents ourselves. That lived experience gives me a perspective that is both practical and deeply personal, and I think it allows people to connect with the work in a more honest and tangible way.
What I’m most proud of are the moments when someone reaches out and says they are considering fostering, supporting foster families, or getting involved because of something I shared or a conversation we had. If sharing our story or providing resources leads to even one more safe, loving home for a vulnerable child, that means everything to me.
I think what sets me apart is my ability to bridge advocacy, lived experience, and community engagement in a way that feels authentic and approachable. My goal has never been just to raise awareness, it’s to help people feel equipped and inspired to step into meaningful action themselves.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Oh gosh, I probably need to email my therapist before answering this one and do a deep dive! But honestly, some of my favorite childhood memories are the really simple ones with my mom. She raised me as a single mom during the first five years of my life, and as I’ve gotten older, my admiration and respect for her has only grown.
I have such vivid memories of going to the beach together, baking cupcakes in the kitchen, or just sitting on the living room floor playing together. At the time, they felt like ordinary moments, but looking back as an adult and now as a parent myself, I realize how much she was likely carrying and sacrificing behind the scenes while still making my childhood feel safe, joyful, and loved.
Those memories remind me that sometimes the most meaningful things in life are the simplest moments of presence and connection. I’m incredibly thankful not only for those memories, but that I still get to have such a close relationship with her today.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bothandco.org/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/caitlynbaten
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitlynbaten/
