A Fence Away From Fostering Again

I was 19 years old sitting in my hairdressers chair when I was introduced to the idea of being a foster parent. My hairdresser and her husband and been licensed for 72 hr. emergency care.   I remember exactly how I felt “Hey, I could do that someday”. Time went by, but that thought always stayed with me.

Cut to a few years later, married, my husband and I often talked about adopting and fostering many times over the years, but it was never “the right time”… until one day it actually was…

We had just moved to Whidbey Island, something we had wanted to do for about 20 years.  We had a cute little farm, our kids would be starting school after being homeschooled for years and all of the sudden we both knew. This was the time!  Becoming a licensed foster family is not easy, and it shouldn’t be. After all, the care of children is at stake. We met all the requirements and the day finally came. We were so excited. This is what I had always wanted to be able to do. This was my heart work. My dream since I was 19 years old.

We got our first placement 4 months later, on my birthday! Happy Birthday to me! What a beautiful day! Beautiful and nerve wracking. I remember so many things going through my head at once… “What had we done? Were we ready for this? What if we made mistakes? What if the child didn’t like us?”  So many questions, so much to learn and experience...for all of us.  I look back and remember how nervous and yet excited we all were. A day our family will always remember.   

Since that first placement, we have had 6 children in our home, some for respite, and some as initial placement. It has been a growing experience for our whole family, including our 3 biological children.

Unfortunately, 4 months after being licensed we were told our lease would not be renewed and we had two months to move our family and small farm.  Things happen, we adjust and move on. We were fortunate to find a lovely property which we live on now. It has a pond and stream. Although idyllic in many ways, it makes being licensed for foster care difficult. Still determined to open our home and hearts to kids in care, with the help and guidance of the State’s licensing department we have come up with a plan to place fencing around the stream and pond for the safety of the foster children. The plan requires 600 feet of fencing. We need some help.

We are hoping that there are people who are willing to partner with us in putting together this fencing project. We are hoping that people in our community recognize the desperate need for foster families in WA and feel compelled to offer help. We humbly ask for your consideration of support to help our family once again become a foster family. It is not only my dream but the need for local housing for our kids in care that means the difference between the foster kids having to change schools, friends, separate the kids from their relatives and even siblings sometimes. Please help us continue to make a difference in our community’s future by opening our home and hearts again.

The 19 year old girl in that hairdresser’s chair THANKS YOU for reading this. The adult woman, wife, mother and neighbor writing this, again humbly requests and appreciates any help, big or small, that you may be able to offer, making this family's path a reality again.