“To love a child who may just need a little chance on life”

Teresa and Bill’s interest in working with young people grew out of their earlier experience as host parents for international students. They learned about Good Shepherd’s foster care program at church in a video produced for the Annual Catholic Appeal.

They were particularly touched by the comments of a grandfather in the video. A major component of the Good Shepherd foster program is the emphasis on maintaining contact between children in foster care and their birth families whenever possible. Teresa and Bill found the idea of family reunification appealing.

“The video spoke to my heart,” said Teresa. “We had welcomed children into our home before, so we were not total newbies. We’re in our 50s and have ample room, stability, and, more importantly, room in our hearts to love a child who may just need a little chance on life.”

Teresa and Bill talked about the video after church; it was not a new topic for them. They had been on the fence about becoming foster parents, but when Teresa told Bill that God had spoken to her heart, they both knew they were ready. They contacted Good Shepherd and started the process to become a foster family.

“Here we are almost eight months later with a sweetheart of a boy joining our crazy little family,” Teresa said. “His smile when he sees me, when he sneaks in to surprise me at work, is all it takes for me to know that this is the right thing for us.”

The need for foster parents has never been greater. The Children’s Division reports that there are 2,383 children who entered custody in 2021 in the St. Louis region. Their average age is 8.5 years, their average stay in care is 29.7 months, and the pandemic has created difficult situations for many.

If you are interested in following in Bill and Teresa’s footsteps by becoming a foster parent, please visit this page of our website for more information: https://goodshepherdstl.org/foster/