Mike is the CEO of the Newport County YMCA and
Rebecca is a Consultant with Rodan +Fields

Why Did You Decide To Foster? We always wanted to give a child a permanent home and to be there for a child when they have no one else to care for them. We also wanted to expand our family and the choice to foster to adopt in our own state made sense.

How Long Have You Been A Foster Parent? We have been official foster parents for six months now. We finished our certification early summer of 2016 and we had a child living with us by September 2016.

How Many Children Have You Fostered Since You Started and What Ages? We have had one foster child living with us and she is 17 months now! She is a loving and energetic child. She is a joy to have in our lives.

Do You Have Children Of Your Own? What Ages? We have a 7 year old son and we are expecting a baby boy at the end of this month (February)! We found out we were having another baby biologically after we decided to foster. We feel blessed to have her in our life.

How Would You Describe Your Foster Experience? Our experience has been great. Our foster daughter is so special and we are so lucky she was placed with us. It can be overwhelming at times- from getting certified and finally having a child moving into your home there is a lot to be done and information to absorb and things to prepare. You have to be your own advocate and do your own research. We were very proactive about our fostering situation.

What Would You Tell Others Who Are Planning To Be Foster Parents? You have to go in with a plan- are you planning to foster children that are working toward reunification with their birth parents or are you looking to provide permanency (foster to adopt). We were looking for permanency. When looking to foster to adopt you have to know there is a chance the child will be reunified with their birth parent. There are a lot of unknowns during the process as a lot of information is private state information. There will be meetings with social workers, court dates and parent visits.  Ultimately you want what is going to be best for the child and what will give them the best future. You have to go in with the “if it’s meant to be it will be” mindset and just love that child as much as you can and make them comfortable during their time with you.