Foster Care Reunification

This foster care month, one family offers hope to others who may be experiencing a similar situation.

Poor decisions prior to the birth of her youngest son led to the removal of all three of Shannon Fleeson’s children. Newborn Xander was placed in a Pressley Ridge treatment foster home with the Parker family, while the two older youth were placed with a different agency. This was a wakeup call for Shannon and her husband, and they began taking the necessary steps to better their lives and reunite their family.

Noticing how well Xander was being cared for and how supportive the Parkers were of their communication and family visits, Shannon requested that her other two children be placed in Pressley Ridge foster homes. “It always felt like Pressley Ridge was working to reunify our family. So, we pushed hard to get all kids to be under Pressley Ridge’s care.”

The foster parents and Pressley Ridge Program Supervisor Alexa Bean went above and beyond to support Shannon as she was building a better life. Alexa helped her get a new pair of glasses and always made sure that the Fleeson family was able to spend quality time together. Shannon recalls, “One time the power was out at the building where we usually had our visits. Alexa went out of her way to keep our visit, even with this setback. She set up a visitation outside at a park since we couldn’t use the building.”

While it was stressful to be separated from her children, Shannon was in regular contact with them, which made her own journey much more successful. She appreciated that Pressley Ridge encouraged the biological family and foster family connection. The Fleesons and Parkers worked as team, and Shannon believes that her son Xander truly benefitted from his time in foster care.

The Fleesons have worked hard to stay clean ever since Xander was born, and as a result the family has been reunited. They continue to stay in touch with the Parkers – even making them Xander’s godparents – as well as the Pressley Ridge staff. Shannon “Alexa takes her job to heart. The kids are not just another file. She gave us chance of retribution, a second chance.”

Shannon wants other families who are experiencing Child Protective Services cases to see that there are success stories, and they shouldn’t give up. She wants those families to see that foster care doesn’t have to be a negative experience; foster care workers are supportive of reunification.

Alexa Bean couldn’t be more proud of the effort of both the foster and biological families. “This is what family engagement looks like. Due to the foster parent’s willingness to be a support for the Fleeson family, they were able to build a positive bond and relationship that continues to this day. I am so proud of the work, time and effort that both the Fleesons and Parkers displayed throughout the case. I am thankful to be part of their successful reunification story.”

 

Foster Family: Kacy and Levi

In July 2016, my husband and I, newly married and just buying our first house, decided to go on a crazy adventure…foster care! We had one son that was 4 at the time. We had tried to get pregnant and just weren’t successful. Fostering kept coming up and really pulling at me, so my husband, being the great man he is, agreed to my somewhat crazy idea. At the time we were only 24 and 22. We had a young child and were just starting our career and lives. By no means were we the “typical foster parents” or did we have the perfect lives or perfect home.

In February 2017, we got our second placement, a little red head tiny, medically fragile baby. We knew nothing about medically fragile kids or children with special needs, but we knew that God would send us whoever he wanted with us.

We started fostering a little naive. We just wanted to foster, not to adopt. We wanted to just provide a safe loving home while the parents got help. With our second placement, we quickly learned that was not always the case. Sometimes the parents just were not in the place to raise a child.

Our son came to us in the middle of the night on February 6, 2017. He was born at 25 weeks, drug exposed and very tiny with a lot of health issues. He had a twin sister, but she did not make it. When he came to us he was almost 6 months old, only about 10 pounds and couldn’t sit up or roll over. He couldn’t even hold his head up.

We immediately began Birth to Three, and with lots of love and cuddles we watched this little helpless baby turn into a feisty little boy. He started reaching milestones and growing non stop! Watching him FINALLY thrive was worth EVERY struggle….and we had A LOT of struggles.

Fostering is HARD, you will worry, you will have sleepless nights, but even in the days that I thought our son may go back to his biological parents, I kept one thing in mind: focus on what I can control. I had this precious child of God in my home for THAT day and for THAT day I was going to show him love, show him he could trust, and teach him all I could.

We never know what tomorrow will bring, but these children don’t ask to be exposed to drugs, they don’t ask to be abused, they don’t ask for this life. We as a community must step up and meet these kids where they are and help them thrive. Whether it is for a month or for a lifetime, every child deserves someone that loves them unconditionally and know that they have someone in their corner that will never give up on them. 

If my husband and I, in our young twenties, could foster, then anyone can. These kids do not need a perfect family, they just need LOVE. It is not always easy, and your heart will break in a million pieces, but it will ALWAYS be worth it!

Kacy and Levi,
Pressley Ridge Foster Parents

Each year, Pressley Ridge helps thousands of children learn, grow and thrive through the support of a safe and nurturing foster home. And it all starts with one person deciding to be the difference for a child in need. If you’d like more information on becoming a foster parent, click the button below.

TREATMENT FOSTER CARE INFORMATION

Fostering in Faith

Reichart Family“Love fiercely and hold loosely.” This is the mantra of Niki and Seth Reichart’s decade-long journey of fostering.

Their mission began with a desire to adopt shortly after their first son was born. The emotional toll of five failed adoptions eventually led them to fostering, a decision made based on the teachings of the Bible.

Time after time, they hear the question – how can you bring these children into your home without getting too attached? To that, Niki says, “We don’t do it because we are immune to the heartbreak. We do it because we are commanded to by Jesus. You have to love with a great risk to your own heart.”

Today, the Reicharts’ home and hearts are full with four biological boys and four adopted children ranging in age from four to twelve. Niki admits fostering wouldn’t be so easy without her “tribe” of fellow foster moms, who are her safe zone for venting.

Niki’s tribe includes her sister-in-law Hannah Origel, who, along with her husband Jesus (otherwise known as Zeus), has fostered a total of eleven children.

For Hannah, fostering is contagious. Her parents and grandparents took in kids while growing up, and she saw the joy her brothers’ families derived from fostering. She and Zeus believe that the Bible has called them to bring in children and give them a loving place to stay. They want to serve the community, and fostering is a real, tangible way to do that.

With two biological sons, Hannah and Zeus began fostering in 2014 in response to the need for bilingual families to care for undocumented Hispanic youth in Pittsburgh. From there, they adopted one child (and hopefully, soon to be two).

Just like the Reicharts, Hannah and Zeus are inevitably questioned about the heartbreak that comes with fostering. “You can’t think about yourself. Imagine a kid being ripped from their home with nowhere to go. It’s an honor to be the one to get that phone call and to be a part of these children’s stories.”Origel Family

Hannah, too, relies on the invaluable support of the foster mom tribe. When times get tough, they remind her of her purpose. She and Niki also lean heavily on the staff of Pressley Ridge, who is available 24/7 and has been with them through the good times and bad. Monthly meetings provide time for both the foster parents and children to connect and learn from one another.

Both families are grateful that their biological children have grown up with foster care and adoption as a part of their lives. The experience has made them empathetic, loving and generous, just like their parents.
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The Reicharts and Origels are a testament to the difference that one family can make in the life of a child.