Testimonials

My husband and I wanted to open our home to kids who were hard to place, the kids who struggle with behavior problems or negative thinking, or who have a hard time in a family setting. These kids need someone to give them understanding for a past that they, themselves, do not understand. We give them a chance to experience a regular, everyday family life. With therapy, support and lots of work, we help them as they move further on their goal of healthy positive thinking, self-control and good coping skills.

Becoming a foster parent was one the best decisions we have ever made. We truly did not realized how much of a need there was for foster families until we opened our home. When you take a child into your home who has endured so much trauma and loss in their lives and you watch that child learn to feel safe, trust, laugh, love and grow, it is one of the most rewarding and gratifying feelings. I never realized just how much I had to offer to a child until I stepped into fostering. My plain, simple life and family was just what these children needed to heal from all the hurt and disappointment they have had to live with. But, in all reality, my family needed each one of these children to teach us about the true gift of loving and giving.

Fostering is like trying to be the captain of a ship sailing through a storm of emotions. As the captain, you just want to get your children to calm waters and land safely together. It is the hardest thing I have ever done, but also the most rewarding. There is nothing that compares to helping children in need learn new skills, including just learning to be a kid again, because they are safe and secure, while also helping families get back together. There is nothing better than getting a call from a child you served previously so they can say “I miss you,” or to have developed enough of a relationship with their biological family that they choose to allow contact later. I became a foster parent because I was acutely aware of the desperate need in our state for foster homes. Our state, like many, needs safe homes in every community to help children. I did not know I would adopt my son when he was initially placed, but knew prior to any child coming to my home that I would be open to adopting. This just happened to work out. Being a foster home has changed my life for the better permanently, just like being a foster parent has helped give back to my local community. It just takes one person to make a whole lot of difference.