A CALL FOR FOSTER PARENTS
Sheila L. Crimi said she and her husband were called to be foster parents.
"I think foster parents have a calling to care for children," she said. "Some people are called and become teachers; some become foster parents. This is an avenue I've always had a heart for."
The Lorraine couple began fostering children through the House of the Good Shepherd, 26515 Route 3, Watertown, two years ago after their children were grown and out of the house.
Mrs. Crimi said she was inspired about 22 years ago to become a foster parent when her husband, who worked at a paper mill in New Jersey, told her about a co-worker's wife who got a new lease on life when she fostered children after her own were grown.
"We had toddlers at the time, and I thought that we could do that," she said. "I really felt we were good parents, and children who needed parents, and to me, to not take on children in need is a sin."
Over the past two years, Mr. and Mrs. Crimi have fostered eight children and provided respite care, such as on a weekend, for others. They currently have five in their home, a 16-year-old girl, a 10-year-old boy and a sibling group of children ages 2, 3 and 4.
Mrs. Crimi said she often hears there's a need for people or couples to foster sibling groups so the children don't get separated. But for those who don't have siblings, the need for people to foster them is great as well, she said.
No one knows that better than Theresa Lampack, House of the Good Shepherd's recruitment and retention manager.
The agency's Watertown office deals with 39 families who provide foster care, but Ms. Lampack said she would like to see at least eight potential foster parents at the agency's next informational meeting Jan. 15.
"A lot of people have a problem understanding what foster care is," she said. "Foster care is providing a temporary, safe place for children. The main goal is to reunite the children with their families."
When reunification with families isn't possible, some children may be up for adoption, she said.
"We definitely need foster families because right now we're having to send children to other counties, which reduces possibility of reunification," Ms. Lampack said. "Visitation is the number one factor in reunification. When children are far away, it makes it very difficult to make visits. For that same reason, we are really looking for homes in St. Lawrence and Lewis counties as well, not just Jefferson."
Lynn Pietroski, Children's Home of Jefferson County associate executive director, said the 1704 State St. agency's foster care program also needs more people to take children.
"There's a lot of kids out there that need families, or need a resource, at no fault of their own," she said. "They often need a safe haven, whether it be temporary or long term. We're always willing to sit down and speak with people interested or unsure of what it is to be a foster parent."
People interested in the foster care program should call Christine Loomis, a home finder, at 779-1507.
"You don't have to do it forever, or years on end," Mrs. Pietroski said. "There's so many options; you can provide respite care."
She said many of the agency's 35 foster homes work with the foster children's birth families as a mentoring tool, to model similar behavior to see what may work better for the child at home.
"If you're wondering what you can do to help a child, and you're teetering on 'should I or shouldn't I, what is it, what is my commitment?' I'd encourage them to just give us a call," Mrs. Pietroski said.
