Foster Parents Recognized by Area Foster Care Agency

Concern, a private, Willow-Grove foster care agency, took May’s designation as National Foster Care Month to shine a light on the people who make foster care possible, foster parents. On May 20, Concern held its annual Foster Parent Appreciation Celebration at in Horsham.  

“It affects your whole life in wonderful ways,” said Dee Faller, a Norristown resident who has been a foster parent for seven years.

Faller said she became a foster parent after realizing many years ago that some children needed safe homes. She saw a film in her high school days about homeless children, and it made an impact.

“Through my faith, I realized one day I’d be taking children who didn’t have homes into mine,” said Faller.

Now, she takes in mostly teens who are in need of a home.

“I am a parent much longer than I thought I would be,” said Faller, whose biological daughter is 27.

But she said that taking teens into her home keeps her mind and body young.

“It is a two way gift. You learn a lot,” said Faller.

Diane Devlin, Concern’s regional director for the southeast office, saw the appreciation luncheon as a way for the foster parents to connect and also learn from one another. The southeast regional office is located in Willow Grove, and works with children and foster parents in Montgomery, Bucks, Delaware, Chester and Philadelphia counties.

Devlin said that the Willow Grove Concern office currently has 30 foster families. These families are screen and evaluated before Concern places children in these homes. The children typically come to Concern when a local social services contact the private non-profit agency.

Concern case workers, like Brice Johnston, work with the children, their biological families, foster families, schools and others involved to give the support needed during transition and time in foster care.   

“The case worker is kind of like the middle man,” said Johnston, a Willow Grove resident and Abington Senior High graduate.

As senior case worker and life skills coordinator, Johnston said the work can be emotional but rewarding.

In addition to foster care, Concern also aids in the adoption of some foster children and provides life skills training for youth aging out of the foster care system.

“Last year, we had eight families who adopted their foster care children,” said Devlin.

Marjorie and Edward Graves, Willow Grove residents, adopted their first foster child.

“He’s 28 years old now,” said Marjorie.

The Graves opened their doors to many children in need of a temporary home.

“I must have had 100 children come through my house,” said Marjorie. “It was really a pleasure because I did see a change in them.”

She said two foster children recently left her home, and she’d wait to hear when Concern needed her once more. It was about 26 years ago, Marjorie said, when she read in the paper that Concern was seeking foster parents. She had always liked children, and so she decided to respond, she said.  

“It made me feel good knowing I am helping children less fortunate than others,” Marjorie said.

Another foster parent, David Bowden, mentioned that fostering helps others.

“It let me continue to be helpful and be supportive of parents who can’t support their own kids,” said Bowden.

He has been a foster parent for 23 years, and has worked with Concern for the past five. Bowden and his wife, Brenda, live in Lansdale.

“It was basically a family affair,” said Bowden of his decision to become a foster parent.

Bowden’s aunt was a social worker, and he comes from a large and close family. Taking in foster children seemed like the natural next step.

Bowden said he still keeps in touch with many of the youth who spent time in his home, adding that it’s not unusual for some of his former foster children, now in their 20s, to stop by for the holidays.

Add the foster children to the six biological children Bowden has  (the youngest is 16) and other family, and he said it’s not unusual for family gatherings to reach 40 to 50 people.

Thomas Deloach, a former foster child, returned to Concern on the day of the appreciation luncheon.

Deloach said he came into contact with Concern as an adolescent in 1982, when he and his brother were supposed to enter a group home. A social worker decided a group home wasn’t right for the pair, and referred Deloach and his brother to Concern, which placed them in a home.

Deloach returned to speak about his time in foster care to the foster parents. He said that once day, the names and deeds of many might be forgotten, but one thing would not be forgotten.

“When you die, people will remember how you made them feel,” said Deloach.