Fostered passion: Scholarship remembers woman committed to foster children and adoptive families

MOSES LAKE — Patty Honsowetz liked children, all children, and thought all of them deserved a chance. When her husband Rick and their children decided they wanted to do something in her honor, they thought about that.

“I started talking to my kids about ways that we could, yes, honor her legacy, but also benefit something she was passionate about,” Rick Honsowetz said. “Which was children, specifically foster children and children from the foster system that had been adopted.”

Patty’s family has set up a scholarship in her memory for children in the Moses Lake School District who are in the foster care system or are adopted. 

Patty Honsowetz was a court-appointed special advocate, or CASA, in Washington’s foster care system. 

“They (are) advisors to the court as advocates for kids in the foster system, with regards to their future,” Rick said. “Analyze the family situation and advise the court on adoption, how they’re doing and all those kinds of things. Looking out for their best interests.”

She was committed to the job, which is all-volunteer. She was a part of the CASA program when she died in a car accident in February 2022. 

“(The job) was confidential, so she couldn’t tell me much about what she was doing,” Rick said. “But I could see how much time she was spending with those kids, going into the house, visiting their schools, talking to the caseworkers, going to court, advocating for those kids. She loved those children.”

The family attends the Moses Lake Christian Church, which sponsors a ministry that helps families taking care of foster children and families with adopted children. Patty Honsowetz was active in that — and in fact the entire Honsowetz family is interested in helping children in those circumstances.

“Four of my grandkids are adopted,” Rick Honsowetz said. “And one of my kids is very involved in the foster system; I think they’ve had 12 or 13 foster kids.”

His children are involved in coaching, they’ve been volunteers with the Big Brother and Big Sister programs, and have worked with refugee families, he said. 

“There’s no question Patty was the inspiration, but the kids kind of caught the vision,” he said. “Patty was – I don’t know, God wired her in a way that she was just passionate about kids.

The family is passionate about those kinds of things. So this made sense to them when I approached them about a scholarship for foster and adoptive kids,” he said.

Rick Honsowetz is a co-founder of the Columbia Basin Foundation. Foundation director Corinne Isaak said the foundation manages 172 different funds that benefit all kinds of programs throughout the Columbia Basin and beyond. When the Honsowitz family decided to establish a scholarship in memory of their wife and mother, they turned to the foundation.

“One day he came into my office – it was last summer – and said, ‘You know, it’s time. I want to start a scholarship in memory of Patty, in honor of the good work she did,’” Isaak said. 

Rick Honsowetz said this kind of scholarship was something new for the foundation. The scholarship will be available to students in the MLSD, and can be used for higher education and training, whether that’s a four-year or two-year college or a trade school. The first scholarships will be awarded to the class of 2024.

“I thought it would be delayed, but no, we’re going to start this year, 2024. We’re very excited about that,” Rick said. 

The scholarship is set up so that money can be donated at any time, by anybody. As people find out about the scholarship, they may want to add to it, Rick Honsowetz said. 

Qualifying seniors can inquire at the Moses Lake High School office, and will get information on accessing the application. Rick said the Honsowetz family will be allowed to review the applications but the scholarships will be awarded by the foundation.

The application tells students a little bit about Patty Honsowetz, and why her family wants to remember her through the scholarship. The last line is a summation of Patty’s commitment.

“These are Patty’s words, the message that she wants those kids to know,” Rick said.

“You are seen, and you are loved,” it says.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.

    A scholarship for foster children and adoptive families will be awarded in memory of Patty Honsowetz, pictured.
  

    Rick and Patty Honsowetz. Her family has established a scholarship in Patty’s memory.
  

    Rick Honsowetz, second from left, with children, from left, Rebecca, Nathan, Melissa and Pamela. The family has set up a scholarship in memory of Patty Honsowetz, who passed away after a car accident.