“It’s too hard” is not a valid reason for not fostering. Foster parents Doug and Vicki Evick have fostered 21 children in the span of eight years. All but one of those children, they continue to see on a regular basis. They show up for ballgames, birthday parties and special events. Some of the children stay at their house for a week during the summer. Vicki says when a child leaves their care, they go from Daddy Doug and Mommy Vicki to Pop and Grandma. “If the only reason that you're not fostering is because it would be hard for you to say goodbye. That's saying to a child, I can help you. I can keep you safe. I can love you. But I'm not willing to do that because it's going to be hard for me when you move on,” remarked Vicki. Visit https://hubs.la/Q03nKWv20 to hear the rest of their story. (fb)

Foster care represents a theology of restoration. Many times, people forget what the goal of foster care is — spoiler alert: it’s not adoption. Reunification should be the goal of any foster parent, child or organization, even though it likely will involve more work. At Buckner, we have many programs that are available to parents who need that extra support system. If we’re going to seek reconciliation, we must commit to doing the work. Read more about the theology of foster care on our latest blog: https://hubs.la/Q03k7vTc0 (fb)