In the Greatest of Hope

At a time when so many are struggling, I've been contemplating how I can be of service to others. After our foster daughter of nearly a year left us in March to reunify with her family, we were all just learning about the COVID pandemic that would change our world. I recall deciding to take a break before accepting another foster placement, but it was some time before we received another call for assistance. As days turned into weeks and weeks became months, we began to think we weren't "open in the system" – available to receive new placements. Such was not the case and DCF confirmed they did have our status correct, but indicated since the shutdown of the state of CT in March, calls to the CareLine dropped significantly. In fact, "significantly" had a number … 33%. These calls serve as a trigger for DCF to investigate and confirm a child's well-being. A 33% drop means 14,600 less calls over a 6 month period – March to Aug. – vs. year ago. Let...

It's taken me some time to write this as I struggled to find the words. For almost a full year, my wife and I were foster parents to a very special little girl. The call came on Friday of Memorial Day weekend last year. I had taken the afternoon off to enjoy a beautiful New England day and the unofficial start of summer. As I was heading out, DCF called to ask if we could take a 3 year old girl on an emergency basis - that means there was nowhere else for her to go and a foster home was needed for 72 hours. As the situation was explained based on what little info DCF shared, my mind started racing through what we would need for supplies, clothes, food and other items to support her. In addition, the words of my own daughter echoed in my head. I recalled talking with her about becoming a foster parent to which she replied – "you know when they call, you have to say yes as you could be the only option." Later that evening, two case workers and the little girl arrived ...