Together We Bloom: The Story of Friendship, Family, and Community Growth

The Roots

Together We Bloom began long before it had a name.It started on Batson Lane in Wildomar, California — two little girls splashing in rain puddles.

Katie was seven, lost in her daydreams and proudly wearing her most prized rain boots. Michelle had just moved in across the street, curious and brave despite the chemo treatments she was enduring for leukemia. She came outside and asked what Katie was doing, and that simple question started a friendship that has lasted more than three decades.

They were yin and yang from the beginning. Katie was the imaginative one — the “weird kid” always off in her own world — and Michelle was the quiet strength, grounded and fierce even in sickness. They learned early how to be authentic with each other, how to sit in silence, how to share pain and laughter in equal measure. They trauma-bonded, maybe, but they also chose each other — two children finding safety and joy in friendship.

Amber came along a few years later, when she moved to Wildomar in sixth grade. By then, Michelle was living in Hemet for medical care, so Amber and Katie became friends first. When Michelle returned, there was tension — old bonds meeting new ones, growing pains of young girls finding their places. But when Katie invited Amber to join her Girl Scout troop, the three began to weave together, sometimes awkwardly, sometimes beautifully, into the trio they are today.

High school brought its chaos. Michelle’s health continued to challenge her — seizures, graft versus host disease, the long echoes of childhood cancer. Katie and Amber got into mischief, testing limits and making messy, human choices. Life scattered them, re-formed them, and scattered them again.

Katie left for Humboldt State in Arcata; Michelle and Amber grew closer. And through every season — marriages, motherhood, loss, distance, new beginnings, and the kind of grief that only decades of friendship can hold — they found their way back to each other. Always.

Now, in their forties, that same bond has become something larger. Together We Bloom isn’t just a name — it’s the embodiment of that lifelong friendship: rooted in struggle, watered by love, and constantly growing toward the light.

The Seed of an Idea

The first conversations about Together We Bloom began as the three of us — Katie, Michelle, and Amber — were navigating the next chapters of our lives and careers. Child care is a beautiful calling, but it’s also brutally hard on the body and heart. After decades in classrooms, our bodies were tired. Katie was coping with chronic back pain from car accidents and years spent crouched on preschool floors. Michelle was, unbelievably, facing yet another battle with cancer. Amber was balancing full-time work, homeschooling, and motherhood.

We loved teaching, but the traditional system was wearing us down. We were giving everything we had to our classrooms and earning barely above minimum wage — with no path to grow forward. There’s little room for upward movement in child care, no matter how deep your expertise runs. Still, the spark to nurture, teach, and build connection refused to fade.

So, we started to dream. What if we could teach and care for children and families in a new way — one that didn’t require punching a clock? What if learning didn’t have to happen in a classroom at all, but out in the world, together as families? What if we could build the kind of village every parent we’d ever worked with was longing for?

Between us, we’d been creating community for decades — our classrooms had become safe havens for children and their families. Some of Katie’s first preschoolers are now parents themselves. But we kept noticing the same gaps: there were so few spaces where all families could belong, where events were truly free, and where inclusion didn’t mean separation.

Even when activities were “free,” there were often subtle divides — some children left with the cool vendor swag, face paint, and popcorn, while others went home empty-handed. We wanted to remove those invisible barriers and create something radically inclusive — where every child, every sibling, every caregiver could feel equally seen, supported, and celebrated.

We also noticed the way families often had to splinter to find belonging. One child might attend an “autism-friendly” group while their sibling went to sports or a mainstream program. Each of those spaces is valuable and needed, but we dreamed of something whole — a place where everyone in a family could show up exactly as they are.

The first real brainstorming session happened in the car ride to Katie’s 40th birthday. The long desert drive gave us time to reflect and talk deeply. Somewhere between the highway hum and horizon, the dream spilled out of us. When Katie and Michelle both confessed they’d been secretly imagining a future beyond their classrooms — a shared vision for something bigger — it was like a floodgate opened.

By the time Amber joined us that night, the energy was unstoppable. We talked for hours — about art classes in the park, nature walks for families, workshops, take-home boxes, community collaborations — ideas kept blooming faster than we could write them down. We knew then: it wasn’t just a wish anymore. It was a calling.

From that conversation on, the pieces started falling into place faster than we ever imagined. What we thought might start as a few “arts in the park” sessions quickly became something much bigger. We were building a nonprofit. We were hosting real community collaborations. Together We Bloom was coming alive — and it was everything we had ever hoped for.

Growing in the Wild

Our very first Together We Bloom event wasn’t meant to be an event at all. It began as a family celebration — Katie’s nephew’s baby shower. Frankie and Tanya were expecting their first child, little Frank the Fourth, and we wanted to make the day as special and heartfelt as possible.

We didn’t advertise. We didn’t plan for exposure or growth. We simply poured our creativity, our love, and our teacher hearts into the celebration — and in doing so, we found our rhythm.

We hosted a “Baby Is Brewing” themed shower, complete with a Lil’ Brewers children’s activity table and take-home boxes where guests could brew their own root beer. It was playful, educational, and joyfully hands-on — rooted in science, family, and connection. While parents mingled, ate, and celebrated, their children explored, experimented, and created in a space made just for them.

That day, we realized we had tapped into something deeply special. The smiles, the laughter, the art projects tucked under arms as families left — it was clear we weren’t just offering “child care.” We were creating community experiences that brought generations together through wonder and learning.

The success of that baby shower gave us the courage to take our dream public. We built our website, opened our social media pages, and put ourselves out there — nervously, excitedly, wholeheartedly. Then came our first official community event at Marna O’Brien Park in Wildomar: “Light Catchers.”

It was everything we hoped it would be — an explosion of color, curiosity, and connection. Families gathered to create a massive community kaleidoscope made from found and natural materials, a collaborative light-catching banner that shimmered in the sun, flower pounding on canvas, and treasure jars filled with pieces of nature and imagination. Every child left with a complete DIY kit to continue creating at home — but more importantly, they left with joy glowing on their faces and a sense of belonging in their hearts.

After Light Catchers, everything changed. We realized we weren’t the only ones dreaming of connection and creativity — our community was ready to grow with us. The response was overwhelming: generous donations from Barons Market, messages of encouragement from families, and local parents reaching out asking when the next event would be.

So, we got busy.

Our next event, “Rooted in Nature,” was created especially for our local foster families — and it was pure magic. It was completely free for participants and intentionally designed for children of all ages and abilities, from three months to seventeen years old.

We filled the space with sensory wonder and gentle beauty:

• Nature-adorned birdhouses and botanical jewelry-making stations.

• Flower pounding on fabric and bouquet crafting tables.

• Nature wands for imagination and play.

• Cozy, quiet areas for babies and foster moms to bond away from the bustle.

Every table, every material, every detail was chosen with care — to ensure each child could move at their own pace, create freely, and feel safe in their own rhythm. Watching foster families create side-by-side, with siblings of all ages laughing and making art together, was profoundly moving. We knew then that Together We Bloom had found its heart: offering inclusive joy and belonging to families who need it most.

From there, momentum bloomed even further. We partnered with Montague Brothers Coffee to host Bloom & Brew, our largest collaboration yet — a vibrant morning of coffee, art, and nature-based activities for families. With the help of Louie’s Nursery and Barons Market, we created interactive “coffee + garden” tables like:

• Coffee-infused soil planters with succulents and native flowers.

• Coffee filter art and magnet painting for kids.

• Wiggly Worm & Benny Bean story time and science table.

• Community seed planting and take-home kits for families.

What began as a humble idea between friends had grown into something much bigger — a movement of kindness, inclusion, and creativity taking root across Wildomar and beyond. Each event deepened our belief that learning and belonging should never be limited by cost, diagnosis, or circumstance.

The Ethos

At the heart of Together We Bloom is a simple but powerful belief: children learn and grow best in their own ways, supported by the people who love them most.

We know that families look different in every shape and form — and that every child’s path is unique. That’s why we’re committed to creating spaces where every single child is welcomed without stigma, without pressure, and without expectation.

Our events are intentionally designed to be inclusive of all levels, abilities, and family structures. We take pride in crafting environments where every participant can engage in their own time, their own way, and at their own comfort level. Activities are open-ended, process-based, and rooted in joy and exploration rather than outcomes or perfection.

We draw from our decades of experience in early education, using gentle guidance and non-violent communication to nurture connection and confidence. Our goal is not to correct children, but to see them — to meet them where they are and help them bloom at their natural pace.

Nature is the foundation of everything we do. We believe deeply in its healing, regulating, and inspiring power. So many modern families live disconnected from the natural world — our mission is to help them return to it. Whether it’s flower pounding, soil planting, or wandering through a park with a handmade wand, each activity reconnects children to the earth and to themselves.

And above all, we are committed to removing barriers — physical, emotional, and financial. Every Together We Bloom event is accessible and free. No child will ever be left out because of cost, ability, or circumstance. We promise that families can show up with empty pockets and leave with full hands and hearts, just like everyone else.

This is the foundation of Together We Bloom: A place where belonging is unconditional. A space where learning is free and wild. A community where every child is seen, supported, and celebrated.

The Bloom Ahead

What started as a dream between lifelong friends is now blossoming into something far greater than we ever imagined. Together We Bloom is no longer just a passion project — it’s becoming a growing nonprofit with deep community roots and big, beautiful goals.

Each event has shown us what’s possible when families are given space to belong. From coffee shops and nurseries to local parks and classrooms, our partnerships are expanding — and so is our impact. We’re building lasting collaborations with local businesses like Montague Brothers Coffee, Barons Market, and Louie’s Nursery, all of whom share our commitment to community care and family connection.

We envision Together We Bloom growing into a full ecosystem of learning and support:

• A community-centered nonprofit offering free and inclusive family learning events throughout the year.

• A mobile “Bloom Bus” or traveling classroom that brings nature-based experiences directly to neighborhoods, parks, and family centers.

• Micro-school and homeschool support programs designed to empower parents as partners in their child’s learning journey.

• Curriculum kits and take-home boxes filled with art, science, and nature activities — everything families need to learn, play, and grow together at home.

• Digital resources and video guides, helping families recreate our activities wherever they are — whether that’s through YouTube lessons, QR code learning links, or printable family journals.

Our dream is to make Together We Bloom a name synonymous with community learning — a gentle movement that reminds families that education doesn’t just happen in classrooms, but in gardens, coffee shops, kitchens, and parks.

We want every caregiver, parent, and child who crosses our path to feel the same warmth we found in each other’s friendship — the belief that no one grows alone, that joy can be simple, and that healing happens when we create, connect, and bloom together.

Because in the end, Together We Bloom isn’t just about art or events.It’s about belonging.It’s about love in action.And it’s about building the kind of village we all deserve.