Today for Mom-Monday, I’m sharing an article I wrote for Sacramento Parent Magazine to recognize foster parents and the amazing difference they make in the lives of kids and the community.

It was such an honor to interview the foster mom in the article–a mom who overcame her fears and is making a huge impact in the lives of three kids.

Foster parenting not only changes lives, but also helps thwart child trafficking by giving children a place to call home….

A Place to Call Home

Am I equipped to be a foster parent? Is it the right decision? These are questions most people face when they consider foster parenting. The Morgan* family did. In fact, when Melissa’s husband, Don, brought it up, her first reaction was, “I can’t be a foster parent.” Then the local couple began doing research; they attended meetings at Koinonia Family Services, a nonprofit, private foster care and adoption agency, and Melissa became open to the idea. Not long after, they got a call about three siblings who needed immediate placement—two brothers (one a teenager) and their baby sister.

“I was scared,” Melissa recalls. “I didn’t feel like I was equipped to handle three kids, especially a teenager. But these kids needed a home.” Melissa and Don said yes, and their family grew from two to five.

“The first 90 days were hard,” Melissa says, “but little by little, things got easier. We were nervous, but the kids were more nervous. You go in thinking about yourself and whether or not you can do it, but when you get involved, you shift to really trying to understand what the kids need.”

There are over 80,000 children waiting for good foster and adoptive homes in California and Nevada.“The majority of those kids are teens, kids in sibling groups, or kids with special needs,” says Bill Richardson, District Administrator for Koinonia. “Homes that will take teens,” he adds, are most needed.

“Almost anyone with an open heart and flexibility can make a difference,” says Richardson. Koinonia provides foster parent training, adoption training, and other resources to help families through the different processes. In addition, Koinonia foster children are given professional counseling, medical and dental care, and a monthly spending and clothing allowance. The agency also provides 24-hour service to families and is available for emergency response.

It’s been a year and the siblings are still with the Morgans, who are now open to adoption if that becomes a possibility. “By being willing to foster parent a sibling group, our lives have been blessed,” Melissa says…

“We adore these kids. The fears we had about a teenager… we’ve forgotten them. He’s an amazing kid. He talks about wanting to go to college. He’s a different person now.”

Melissa’s story is a perfect example of how local foster parents are helping transform lives, but, whether intended or not, foster parents like the Morgans are also helping thwart the trafficking industry in Greater Sacramento.

“Fostering a child helps prevent child trafficking by keeping kids off the streets,” explains Jenny Williamson, Founder and President of Courage to be You, Inc. (C2BU), an international, nonprofit organization that helps children who have been victims of trafficking. That’s because kids who have a place to call home, kids with college ambitions and protective parents, kids who know their own potential, are far less likely to end up victims of traffickers.

It’s a problem close to home. Sacramento’s geographic location has made the region an attractive area for child traffickers. Law enforcement officials agree that increasing the number of available foster homes is one crucial step in fighting trafficking.

*Names have been changed to protect the family’s privacy and confidentiality.

To Find Out More

Koinonia Family Services hosts a free, 2-hour information and orientation meeting Tuesday, October 12. For more details, call 877-244-5374 or visit KFH.org.

Courage House (C2BU) offers training and orientation sessions for interested volunteers. To find out about the next available session, visit C2BU.org.

What about you? Are you, or have you been, a foster parent? I’d love to hear about it!

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