about the village co.
Our story
The Village Co. started because no one should have to figure this out alone.
I'm Sara Jo — an adoptive parent in Iowa. Partway through the process, I lost my husband, and finished the journey solo. That loss reshaped how I saw everything about this system: the paperwork, the court dates, the waiting, the not-knowing. I found out how much harder all of it gets when you're doing it by yourself, and how much of what you need to know — the benefits you're entitled to, the deadlines that sneak up on you, the people who can actually help — isn't handed to you. You have to go find it, usually while you're already stretched thin.
That's the gap this site is trying to fill. Not a government portal, not a law firm's FAQ page — just the practical, plain-language version of "here's what I wish someone had told me."
What's here right now: The Survival Guide walks through the parts of the process that trip people up most — court dates, paperwork, benefits you might not know you qualify for. The Resources section is a growing list of people and programs that can actually help, not just links that lead nowhere.
A work in progress, on purpose: This started as me working to find more resources for my own family and now it has turned into a passion project to make sure no one else has to struggle through this the way I did. I'm still living this process myself, so I'm still adding to this site as I go: new resources as I find them, new sections as I learn what's missing.
If something here helped you, or something's missing that should be here, I want to hear about it.
Last updated: August 2026
Our Mission
The Village Co. exists to connect isolated families with resources, guidance, and eventually, with people who want to show up for them across generations. Building the village you were never given.
Think of it as matchmaking for family support. I spent years without that kind of village and figured out the hard way what I actually needed. Right now, that means resources and guidance to help you find your footing. As The Village Co. grows into a nonprofit, it will grow into real connection too — starting with an intergenerational mentorship piece pairing families with caring adults who want to be part of a child's life, because no one should have to do this alone. -Sara Jo
What’s Coming
The Village Co. is just getting started. The Survival Guide and resources on this site are the foundation but the bigger vision is a community where no family is left to figure it out alone.
That's what we're building. Coming soon, we'll launch a program that matches families with caring adults who want to show up — starting with older adults, our "pseudo-grandparents," and growing from there. Not as professionals. Not as case managers. Just as people who have time, life experience, and a desire to be part of someone's village.
Because the truth is, it's not just foster and adoptive families who need a village. It's the single parent working two jobs. The family new to town with no support system. The mom who is doing everything right and still feels completely alone. Every family deserves a village, and not everyone gets one.
We're building this slowly and intentionally — a program like this takes volunteers, funding, background checks, and a lot of moving pieces to do responsibly. If you have resources, connections, or expertise that could help, we'd love to hear from you. (And if you're interested in supporting financially once we're officially up and running, reach out too — we'll let you know when that's possible.)
If that sounds like something you'd want to be part of, we'd love to have you — whether you're a family looking for support, an adult who wants to show up for one, or someone with resources, connections, or expertise that could help us get there.
Get on the list or reach out directly, and be part of something that matters.
Progress so far:
August 2026
Added the Survival Guide's court dates walkthrough
Added to Resources
July 2026
Website officially launched