For our family, foster parenting is having a 12 passager van, never being bored and always having a friend to play with. It's watching kids come with nothing but leave with a heart full of love and a bag of new belongings. It's happy hellos and difficult goodbyes. I am the oldest of nine, six of which have been adopted through foster care. My parents have been doing foster care for as long as I can remember and it has truly shaped who I am, how I see the world and what I do. Foster care and child welfare has not only become my passion, but for both biological brothers as well. One is pursuing a law degree to help kids in the court system and fight for children's and foster parents' rights and the other is pursuing a degree in criminal justice. Foster parenting and being a part of a foster family has led me to graduate with my MSW as well as become a foster parent myself. Foster parenting not only changes the lives of every child who comes into your home, but it changes the lives of everyone in your family. 

Being a foster parent has been such a roller coaster of emotions. It is filled with love, learning and experiences. I never thought at 28 my husband and I would be adopting an older teenager yet here we are. Being a foster parent is about giving endless love, being understanding and taking chances on kids when no one else would. Being a foster parent has been the best decision we've ever made. Not only has it taught my husband and I to be more thoughtful and open-minded but it has taught our children to love everyone regardless of their situation, what they look like where they're from and support them enough to know that they can be successful by getting the proper love and care regardless of past trauma.

In September 1975, I came to live with the most kind, passionate foster mother. She would tell me, "I don't know what you are going through, but I will always be here to listen." And she did just that. Listening was the greatest gift she could ever give me. Which also led me to become a Social Worker!

At the age of 10, my parents became licensed foster parents in Massachusetts. They continued to foster for 13 years (serving 104 children!) until both of them had passed away. By that time, I had earned a degree in child development and psychology and had become a foster care case manager in Pennsylvania. Fast forward to last year, and my husband and I decided to take the leap to become foster parents ourselves, fulfilling a life long mission I've had since the day my parents brought home our first foster child!

I love the kids that I have fostered as they bring much joy

My first real Christmas didn't happen until I was six. That Christmas Eve, my siblings and I each got to open one gift. We all opened matching clothes to wear to my grandma and grandpa's house. There my dad and grandpa played Christmas tunes on their harmonicas and we all sang. A little later, Santa came. I had never seen Santa before. Santa carried a large bag with him. I hoped there were gifts in the bag, but I couldn't be sure. Santa called our names one by one. Every child there got a gift, and Santa said he would be back when we went to sleep to bring more. It's been 26 years since that first Christmas. Our family has grown since then. I have twelve nieces and nephews. My oldest sister has adopted six children, and fostered many more. Every year, my nieces and nephews open matching Christmas pajamas. They come to Meme and Pepe's on Christmas Eve. Santa brings each child a gift and promises to bring them more. And I can be sure that he will. I can be sure that they'll have a family who always loves them” because love has always been our tradition.

Our favorite thing about being a foster parent is getting to see all of the progress that children make while in our care. One of our greatest success stories occurred over the last 10 months. Last June we took in a sibling group of 3 boys, (an 8 month old, 4 year old and 2 year old). The infant came to us with a feeding tube and we were told that he could not eat by mouth, the 2 year old was just starting to walk and was non-verbal and the 4 year old came to us as a wheelchair user and was 100% diaper dependent. The infant was severely delayed and could not roll over, sit up or even pick up his head on his own. After working with him a lot we began to see some progress with his eating and soon began getting him to eat by mouth. He is now 1 years old is not only rolling over, he's walking, talking, eats 100% by mouth and no longer has his feeding tube. The 2 year old has made great strides as well in that he is much more steady on his feet, is talking up a storm and is much more socially engaging than he was when he first came to us. The 4 year old was initially so weak that he could only walk a few feet without falling down. In the beginning he often opted to crawl instead of walk to avoid falling. He was completely dependent on his wheelchair. However, we knew he could do more!!! We are proud to say that he is 100% wheelchair free and diaper free. In addition he is not only walking he is running!!!! To celebrate we did a a little photo shoot to say goodbye to his wheelchair. The ride to get the boys where they are today was physically and emotionally challenging for all of us, but together we did it!! 

We have been fostering for the last 20 years and seen many miracles. There have been some very hard things too but with time, everything seems to work out. We have found it very gratifying to learn how to parent each child in the way that is best for them and to never give up hope. These kids, with support, love and time will really suprize you with all they can do and they will teach you.