“Who taught me to only condition my hair halfway down? Who taught me how to clean a house the right way? Who taught me how to wash laundry,” asks Natalie Clark.
Clark entered foster care as a baby and again as a teenager, totaling 6 years in the foster care system.
“Each person who took me into their home, single, married, close to my age, with kids, without… Each home, each family, each individual, brought to me a profound gift of learning and growth.”
Clark spoke during a “call for foster families” press conference earlier this year hosted by Gov. Spencer Cox, First Lady Abby Cox, Utah Foster Care, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, First Presbyterian Church of Salt Lake City, and Entrata.
Utah has 822 licensed foster families, the lowest number in many years.
And while it’s true that the daily stipend amount for foster families is $21 per day, families aren’t in this work for the money.
Take Rev. Jamie White, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Salt Lake City. She and her husband, Dave, had a nagging suspicion their family wasn’t complete yet. She said there was still room in their home and room in their hearts to embrace a child who needed support.
They were nervous to get started because they knew each child in foster care carries a profound wound. Here’s what they wondered:
“Would our love for that child be enough?
Enough to make them feel safe?
Enough to help them heal?
Enough to help them feel whole?
Enough to help them feel loved?”
Their ultimate decision hinged on this better question, White said. “Were there still kids that needed a loving family? Were there still kids that needed somewhere to go tonight?”
Watch the May 2024 press conference here:
Utah’s ongoing needs for foster families
Please consider opening your heart and home to children who have nowhere else to go, especially teens, sibling groups, youth who are Latino, youth who are LGBTQ, or who have complex behaviors. Learn how to become a foster parent at UtahFosterCare.org.
And, if becoming a foster parent isn’t right for you, said Gov. Cox, consider how you can support foster families who are in your religious congregations, who are your co-workers, or who are your neighbors. Can you provide an occasional meal for them or learn how to provide respite care for when foster families need a break?
Think of what you can teach, and what you can learn, by supporting children and youth in foster care.
#WeAreTheHelpers