Foster And Adoptive Families Of Larimer County

About 40+ years ago I had a position as the High School Librarian at Loveland High School, My husband and I had 2 sons in grade school at Big Thompson Elementary School. We loved children and I so missed not being home when they were so excited returning with the day' s adventures, and not being able to rejoice in their experiences, that I became home bound. I used to have teas for the teachers in the Library. After being home for a while one of my teacher friends called for a recipe for divinity fudge. They were adopting a little girl from VietNam and I knew she had two sons also. We thought that since we already had children adoption was not possible. We had hosted exchange students from many countries, helped care for other children, hosted a teacher from Japan and worked with Boy Scouts! We found out we could get a Home Study and proceeded with Larimer County Social Services and months later a very precious little angel arrived at the Denver Airport, having traveled all the way from there into our loving family. Soon there was another little angel arriving and as VietNam was falling, we put in a request for a little boy. As many of you remember the first BabyLift plane's cargo door flew open on liftoff and babies and caretakers fell out. I did help out in the nursing home receiving infants and children as the children came in. Bless these angels, they just soaked up all the love and their were so many people who had been waiting so long for them to arrive. When I came back home, Larimer County wanted to know if we would consider foster care as they needed a home for a brother and sister. That was our introduction to Foster Care! We loved it! If I had any inkling of where we were heading, I still would do it all over again! We have fostered 292 children! We had 15 precious babies pass away from hospice care, and severe special needs. We adopted 6 special children, including another baby from India. Our children are from all races and backgrounds. We spent 40+ years since then, 3+ years in Mississippi, and took in a couple teenagers from Catholic Charities from the Vietnamese Boat People Program. We found out they were adults and they were able to go to University of Mississippi in Arlington. We brought 2 Mississippi children back to Colorado when a special little abandoned baby that was left in a cardboard box frozen there a week before Christmas because the high temperatures made him so ill and we came back to a cooler world. We did a lot of cradle care{ where babies were kept for a few days and where adoptive families came to pick them up. We worked with Children's Hospital and other Hospitals in the state. We did respite we loved going to the yearly State Foster Conferences, and did respite for others. We have retired recently and found out what emancipation from foster care is all about. We have been working with Dreammakers, Americas Kids Belong, and other organizations such as Chafee and Beyond The Walls. We love all of our children everywhere no matter where. We have worked with parents , doctors, therapists, social workers, and most of our babies were drug addicted or suffering with AIDS, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, or many problems. We were so blessed and we worked with so many agencies that are no longer around. We took our children to school, Easter Egg Hunts and tried to make every day special for them. I have been diagnosed with cancer and Stage 4 Kidney Disease, but still going Strong!!! Six loads of wash a day and surrounded with LOVE! I'm going through 20+ boxes of pictures, 10+ boxes of newspaper articles, cribs wheelchairs, medical supplies, BUT most of all I am remembering all the tiny ones who we cuddled and swaddled with quilts and LOVE from so many people. Give foster parenting a try! We never have regretted it! We are on Facebook and would love to help out. God Bless All of you! Phyllis Grantham