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BELLEFONTE -- During this week Centre County Commissioners meeting, representatives from Children and Youth Services as well as foster parents were in attendance to give information about the foster care system in Centre County.
Leah Raker, Children and Youth Services Administrator, introduced Kaylyn Nero, Foster Home Specialist, to speak about foster family needs in Centre County.
"Today we have 70 children in the care and custody of Centre County Children and Youth. 41 of those children are able to be secured in Centre County foster homes. nine are in homes in purchased providers because we are unable to locate foster homes here in Centre County," said Nero, "We also have 20 children in congregate care settings such as group homes, residential treatment facilities, and out of those children, eight of them are appropriate for foster homes."
Due to the age of these children, according to Nero, they struggle to find foster homes.
She then described what it would be like to be a child thrust into the foster care system, experiencing total displacement and getting to see the friendly face of their new foster family.
"The only thing you need to be a foster parent is a big heart," said Nero, "You'll learn every single day on how to love this child who was once a stranger."
Foster parents Jacki Lepore and Dustin Newman gave a heartfelt speech about their firsthand experiences regarding the children who have come into their care.
Newman and Lepore are a husband and wife duo who started their foster care journey in 2019.
"Since completing our training, we've fostered for short and long periods of time. We've welcomed sibling groups, infants, toddlers, school-aged children, tweens and teens, into our home. We've reunited children with their biological families, supported children in finding adopted homes and even adopted a wonderful child ourselves," said Newman.
Newman noted that if you asked 20 foster families why they chose to foster, you would get 20 different answers. For them, it was the fact that they had time, space and love to give. The pair felt strongly that they had a civic responsibility to help the next generation.
"We would be doing a disservice if we did not speak about the realities of foster care. There will be challenging times, there will be moments of sadness. There will be times when you question all of your decisions," said Lepore.
Lepore then described a call they got asking them to foster an infant that was not expected to survive the abuse they received. The child's outlook was bleak, and the couple had to grapple with the question of whether or not they could handle the emotional turmoil.
They said yes to the placement.
"That was the turning point for us as foster parents because we both realized our fear of the unknown needed to be put second to the immediate need this baby had for love and care," said Lepore.
It wasn't long after they began fostering the baby that he showed signs of improvements; a month later and they were able to bring him home.
"Today we are still tackling every challenge head on, but now we have a healthy and thriving toddler. He runs everywhere he goes, only wants to play with his trucks and his doctors still call him a miracle," said Lepore. "If you ever wanted to hear our 'why foster' in a nutshell, he is it."
"I'm in awe of the two of you, and appreciate everything you've done for the children of Centre County," said Chairman Mark Higgins, who was choked up by their story.
Vice-chair Amber Concepcion was similarly choked up, "The story of this baby is hard to imagine -- when you have babies of your own, you think how you would do anything to protect them from any kind of injury or getting hurt. Thank you for opening your home and hearts to the children you've taken in."
"That was one of the most moving testimonies that could be offered. I don't even have words for how you must feel and how it brings out emotions in all of us," said Commissioner Steven Dershem, "Whether its Christmas or birthdays, you're making such a difference in lives. If you want to talk about service, that is truly it."
Dershem also mentioned the amazing participation of the faith based community in the county in making the foster care and adoption programs work.
"Jacki, Dustin and all of our foster parents would not be able to foster without the supports that we have. In addition to our staff and provider agencies we receive a lot of support from Keystone Family Alliance. They play an active role in recruiting for us but also supporting our foster parents between support groups and offering care communities," said Raker.
For more information about being a Centre County foster parent, or to get in contact with someone who could help you find more information, visit fostercentrecounty.com
The commissioners also proclaimed May 7-13 as Corrections Employee Week.
The Centre County Correctional Facility aims to enhance public safety by providing a safe, secure and humane facility by way of effective programing and education with emphasis on preparing for reentry. They strive for innovative rehabilitation to reduce recidivism.
According to Higgins, the Correctional Facility is the largest county department, "the correctional facility is one of those few situations where we want to be working with as few people as possible -- we appreciate you being here."
Interim Warden Glenn Irwin briefly thanked the commissioners for bringing attention to all the facility does, "Thank you for recognizing the corrections staff that work at our facility. It's an awesome team that has been put together there. It's nice to be recognized for a job that often gets a lot of criticism."
"It's a challenging job. You all have done a great job being able to fill those positions, I'm glad we've been able to make some progress. That's important for the good functioning of that facility," said Concepcion.
Deputy Warden Melanie Gordon reminded the commissioners and the public about their celebrations for Corrections Employee week.
"Lots of good food to be had throughout the week... Employee recognition awards that will be recognized at the Prison Board of Inspectors meeting. You're all welcome to join us for those celebrations," said Gordon.
"Thank you for keeping everyone safe, but most importantly for all the great programming that you do. Our jail is exceptional in that regard -- we offer a lot of programs and services that just aren't seen across our state. It takes a lot of time and effort," said Dershem.