Our Circle

Exceptional

The Story Behind the Foundation

The Selah Grey Foundation was born from two deeply personal journeys—stories marked by loss, hope, and an unshakable belief that healing and belonging can emerge from even the hardest places.

One of us began as a therapeutic foster parent, walking alongside countless young adults who had endured unimaginable trauma. Each carried both promise and pain—a longing to be seen, safe, and valued. Among them was Selah, a young woman whose intelligence, humor, and tenacity left an indelible mark. When she needed a place of safety, our home was full, and she was sent to an out-of-state facility unequipped to meet her needs. During her short stay, tragedy struck, and Selah’s life was cut short.

Her loss shattered our hearts—but it also planted a calling. On the very day we learned of her death, a new journey began toward becoming a trauma therapist and building spaces where young people like Selah could pause, heal, and belong. From her life and legacy came the vision for the Selah Center of Hope—a place where belonging isn’t earned, but freely given; where hope is restored; and where healing is nurtured.

The other part of our story began long before, with a family who prayed for a child for eleven long years. After seven heartbreaking miscarriages, doctors said it would never happen. Yet against all odds, just four days before Christmas, a healthy baby girl was born. Her survival defied every medical prediction—so much so that her story was published in medical journals. That baby would later go on to found the Selah Grey Foundation.

She grew up being told she was special—an exception to what others might call “normal.” As she became a mother, she learned firsthand that exceptional often comes wrapped in both beauty and struggle. Her daughter, Selah, was born with Bosch Boonstra Schaaf Optic Atrophy Syndrome, a rare condition found in fewer than 200,000 people worldwide. She has 21 diagnosed disabilities, yet she is bold, radiant, and joyfully unique. Through Selah, her mother learned to see life not in black and white, but in the shades of grey—where resilience, faith, and love live.

These two stories,one of a young woman named Selah whose life ended too soon, and one of a little girl named Selah whose life embodies everyday miracles—intertwined to form the heart of this foundation.

Together, the Selah Grey Foundation was created to stand in the gap for those who feel unseen: young adults aging out of foster care, families walking through trauma, and children with disabilities who deserve to be celebrated, not overlooked. Our mission is to create places where people can pause, find belonging, and discover that even in brokenness, beauty can rise.

Because healing often happens in the in-between,
in the space between grief and grace, between pain and promise,
in the shades of grey.