01/14/2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For WCU Catamounts men’s basketball head coach Tim Craft and his wife, Jess, foster care is deeply personal.
As adoptive parents, the Crafts understand both the hope and the hardship that exist within the foster care system. That perspective has shaped a strong commitment to using their visibility and voice to encourage greater awareness and understanding of the needs facing foster children and families across Western North Carolina.
The reality is sobering. Across the region, more children continue to enter foster care than there are available foster homes. Many are placed outside their home counties due to capacity shortages, disrupting school continuity, access to care, and family connections. In rural and mountain communities, advocates consistently cite limited awareness and understanding as significant barriers to recruiting and sustaining foster and kinship families.
The Crafts see this partnership as one way to use the reach of college athletics to bring attention to children and families who are often unseen, and to encourage broader community engagement.
On Saturday, Jan. 24, the Western Carolina Catamounts will partner with the One More One Less Project to host a foster care awareness game when they face VMI at 3:30 p.m. The game will welcome foster, adoptive, and kinship placement families with free admission to the game. In addition, each participating family will receive a treat bag and pizza, while supplies last. The game is being sponsored by Conley Rogers Real Estate Group, strong supporters of the Craft family and efforts to raise awareness around foster care needs in the community.
Coach Craft is available to speak about how parenthood has influenced his leadership, why foster care awareness matters in this region, and how this game reflects a larger commitment to supporting children and families beyond the court.