Heart BEAT About Needs & Good Deeds

WAITSBURG - I was sitting on the bleachers at the first WP home football game chatting with Jan Cronkhite and she and I watched as Billy Brown made an amazing run for the Cardinals.

She knew Billy from around town and told me his history and what a great kid he is. It was amazing to her that he has been so successful even though his life has not been easy. I heard how he left Waitsburg and wanted to return, with the community rallying around him and finding him a new home.

In working on my feature story about Billy, I met two other foster children who graduated from Waitsburg High School and live with Oma Harting: Justin Armstrong and Kris Cady. These two were kind and seemed just as well adjusted as Billy. I'm sure they have their moments, we all do, but these kids are phenomenal. I knocked on the door looking for Oma and they sat me down at the kitchen table and were excited to share information about Billy. They loved their home and their foster family.

When I spoke with Oma Harting on the phone, I knew why they loved her. She is warm, a straight-shooter and a kind person who truly loves her kids.

And soon I found out there's not just Oma. There are a number of families in our community who have opened their homes to foster children. The best part is that these families jump through hoops to take in children in emergency situations. Most never get to meet the kids who are going to live in their home before they're placed.

The worst part is that despite these welcoming homes, the need for foster parents is still huge.

The foster parenting trainers and officials I spoke with said anyone can be a great foster parent as long as they can provide stability plus a huge time and emotional commitment to these children. Marc Bru, who works at the coffee shop next to the Times, said foster children don't come from good homes and require more time and energy than your own children. They won't be used to the same rules and they've likely been in and out of foster homes already. They often have severe trust issues. Some of them need special care because they have Asperger's Syndrome or autism. But, taking in a child in need is extremely rewarding, Bru said.

To become a foster parent takes time.

Patrick Weber, the director for Washington Adoption Resource Exchange, said it is a three-part process.

First, prospective foster parents sign up for training to learn what it will be like to be a foster parent and how to handle common issues. They also have to learn rules, regulations and the liabilities involved. Training is about 30 hours and is offered in Walla Walla and Tri Cities.

Second, families must fill out an application packet and get a criminal history check and fingerprints. The third component of the process is a home safety inspection with a social worker.

The whole process should take about three months to complete, Weber said, though in some areas training isn't offered as often and the government isn't always known for moving quickly.

Parents get to choose and are licensed for the kind of children they want in their home. Parents choose the number of children they want to house, specific ages and gender. Weber said parents may not get to meet the children before they move in, but parents should work to make it as smooth a transition as possible.

If you end up loving your foster kids but your license is only for them until they are age 12, you can get a new license and keep them, Weber said. The agencies love to see foster children remain in a home for as long as possible to maintain stability.

Once a family is licensed, the state will provide the family with a monthly stipend for needs like food and clothing. If a child needs medication or counseling, the social worker will be able to adjust the stipend to fulfill those needs. Training and licenses are free.

"There are some out-ofpocket expenses," Weber said, such as family vacations and trips to the movies. But, he said the state tries its best to compensate foster parents.

The need right now is greatest for older children. Everyone wants babies, he said and older children are being moved many cities away to find a family that will take them.

Bru took in his foster children, four of them ages nine to 15, because he and his wife Sarah had known the parents and were considered next of kin. The kids were placed in Bru's home in an emergency and he did not have a license.

Without the license, he said more costs have been out of pocket for the children and the couple is working on getting a license to be reimbursed from the state. The state did help with outfitting the house, buying beds and provides food vouchers. Through his experience, he recommends having a license first. But, his kids were in serious need of moving and he wanted to provide for them.

"You are the advocate for them and they are your children," he said. The Brus do not have any biological children of their own.

He said the children had tempers and reactive attachment disorder, but he has seen definite improvement in the stable environment he and Sarah have provided.

"The trauma these kids have seen is unfathomable," Bru said.

He has found support through other foster parents and has learned the best thing to do is make yourself available to the kids, and let them know you love them and care about them.

"It's a life commitment," he said.