Foster Parenting
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Opening Your Home and Your Heart by Christie del Amo Johnson
To say Auburn University athletic director, Jay Jacobs, is busy would be an understatement. Besides managing some of the top athletic teams in the nation, he is also a father of three. “Who’s not busy? Everybody is busy, but you do the things that are important to you,” he says. Jacobs and his wife, Angie, found that helping children was important to them. They decided becoming foster parents would be the best way to do that. “Until we got into this, I had no idea of the depth and the need for foster parents,” he says. “As soon as we got into it, we realized that there are so many children who need help.” In the last four years, they’ve fostered three children and have done short term respite care for another three. The children have varied in age from newborn to six-years-old. “This is our ministry as a family. Since February 2009 we’ve probably not had foster children for only four months,” says Angie Jacobs. It’s a ministry Wetumpka mother, Dawn Acosta, and her family have also taken on. While she doesn’t receive national exposure in her job, her duties Auburn-Opelika Parents I May 2013
as a parent of two girls, ages 13 & 15, is also demanding. But she’ll tell you, there’s always enough time to care about others. The Acosta family has cared for three infants in the foster care system. “The thought of a parent and child being separated is difficult,” she says. “If this is encouraging the child’s parent to get their lives right and do what they need to do we’re glad to have been a part of that.” Alabama Department of Human Resources Commissioner, Nancy Buckner, says there are roughly 6000 children in state foster care right now. Which is why, she says, they need more people willing to care for them. “It is so important for them to go on with a normal life. This is a very traumatic thing for children. As much as we can do to normalize it, the better that child’s well-being is going to be,” Buckner adds.
Is it Right For You?
Agape of Central Alabama is a nonprofit, faith-based, child placement agency licensed by the state. Buddy Renahan, Director of Social Services, says out of every ten people who come to them expressing 46
interest in foster parenting, two will end up taking it on. “Not everybody is cut out for it and that’s okay. We don’t want to force fit, we want people who are naturally inclined for it,” says Renahan. The state guidelines for becoming a foster parent are simple: • You are at least 19 years of age. • You can provide a safe, comfortable atmosphere for the child. • Your home conforms to Alabama Minimum Standards for Foster Family Homes. • Your home has enough space for the child and his or her belongings. • All members of your family are willing to share their home with a child who needs care. • All members of your family are in good health. • All adults in the home are willing to undergo a thorough background check, including criminal history. • Once approved, foster parents are also required to complete a 30-hour preparation course and receive information to help prepare them for a rewarding family experience. Advertising: 334-209-0552
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