WEATHER
Shining a flashlight around a darkened room can be frightening. It may reveal a scary object that, once the lights are on, isn’t so bad after all.
Or better yet, the experience may shed light on something that needed attention that, until then, had gone unnoticed.
That was the intention of the local chapter of the Foster Parent Association when it planned its inaugural “Walk Me Home ... to the place I belong” 5K walk on the Key Peninsula on May 3.
The association plans to accentuate the plight of foster parents who donate their time and hearts to children in Pierce County.
“We’re not doing this to raise money so much as we want to focus on the positive nature of what foster care is,” said Carl Jones, director of field operations and resource development for the Foster Parent Association in Gig Harbor.
“People can come out and get involved in foster care in a positive way, enjoy the walk and meet other people in the community. The title, ‘Walk Me Home,’ is symbolic for walking children down the path to a permanent home.”
Residents can join the walk that starts and stops at Key Peninsula Lutheran Church at the end of a leisurely 3.1-mile walk for a minimum of $30.
“Everybody knows about foster care, but most people don’t know the challenges foster parents face,” Jones said. “We’re giving a voice to foster parents. Sometimes children come to them with a black garbage bag of clothes, and that’s it. After having conversations with foster parents, most people are in awe of them.”
Jones said there are about 513,000 children in the foster care system nationwide, and about 11,000 in Washington, with the majority located in King and Pierce counties. Being in the system can be very traumatic for a child, he said.
“They don’t want to be in this situation,” he said. “They’re here because of the failure of their birth parents, yet they’re faced with adult challenges. They go into homes where they don’t know the children or the parents. They didn’t choose this life, it just happened to them. They’re placed in a position not of their making.”
That can create hostility within the child, which doesn’t make for a smooth ride for foster parents, Jones said.
“The kids act out based upon what they’ve known in their lives,” he said. “Imagine a child being pulled away from their family. The grief and loss these kids deal with is unbelievable. And if the child is able to see their birth parents on a limited time basis, they deal with that grief and loss over and over again.
“Foster parents are dealing with these kids while, at the same time, trying to keep a relationship with the child and the birth parent in hopes that some day they’ll be reunited,” he added. “It’s torture.”
Karen Jorgenson, executive director of the National Foster Parent Association, said foster parents today face greater challenges than in years past. She speaks from experience — she and her husband began taking in foster children 35 years ago.
“We cared for infants, teenagers, children with disabilities ... anything they wanted,” she said.
They once took in a group of three siblings all younger than 3.
“Children weren’t as challenging then,” she said. “They didn’t have drug and alcohol issues at that time.”
Jorgenson attributes the constant exposure to TV and video game violence as another leading factor for modern day problems.
Christin Kundert, project manager, also has firsthand knowledge, acting as a foster parent herself.
When talking about the link between drugs and foster children, Kundert exhales in a giant puff, crosses her arms and leans against the door for support, as if the mere subject is completely exhausting.
“You have no idea,” she said, sighing and rolling her eyes toward the ceiling. “Pierce County has a huge meth community. Children from that environment are affected mentally and physically.
“The process of creating meth makes the environment toxic, so these kids are showing up toxic. They can’t bring along their toys or their clothes, because everything around meth has to be destroyed. They are going to show up with nothing — we’re talking babies and up.”
Kundert continues to try to explain how far-reaching drug use affects society. More developmentally disabled students are entering the school system, taxing the special education programs, she said. The foster care program is also inundated with drug children, she said.
“The drug issues are much bigger and much more of a challenge than ever before,” Kundert said. “So many kids are being pulled out of drug homes, and foster families are being overburdened.”
On top of that, foster parents are mandated by the state to undergo training and obtain a license.
“We’re trying to make the foster parent more professional,” Jones said.
“It used to be a lot easier to be a foster parent,” said Jorgenson, who is the first foster parent trainer. “You just got fingerprinted, and that was it. But we didn’t have the problems they have with kids today.”
“Foster parenting can be hard on people,” Jones added. “Think about professions that require licenses, like being a doctor or a real estate agent. This benefits their careers.
“Foster parents also have to have continuous education credits to maintain their license, with no monetary rewards. Today, most foster parents want to help a child truly out of the goodness of their heart.”
Residents can enjoy the 5K walk with a minimum donation of $30.
Time: 8:30 a.m.
Date: May 3
Location: Key Peninsula Lutheran Church, 213 Lackey Road in Lakebay
For more information or to volunteer, visit www.walkmehome.org.
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