Fostering Hope

Choices for Life Foster Care helps both children and families through the fostering and adoption process.

For Kelly Evans, fostering children wasn’t just a choice – it was a calling.

“When I imagined my life, I always saw a house full of kids and chaos. After having two children of my own, I realized we still had plenty of room and plenty of love to give,” Evans said.

Evans and her husband learned about Choices for Life, gave them a call, and the rest is history. After six months of meetings and classes, the Evans became foster parents. Since then, the couple has fostered 19 children, and adopted four.

“Choices for Life was an amazing resource throughout our process,” Evans said. “They’ve always been there to help us along way. They truly partner with you on the journey. It’s not an easy process, but they make it much easier.”

For the Evans family, that process started 16 years ago. They sat down as a family, and discussed what it would look like to bring a new child into the family. Immediately, Evans’ children responded positively, eager to welcome a new brother or sister.

“We figured, if we can give a child a good place to live, a safe place to live, a family who loves them… We should,” she said.

A born caregiver, Evans believes being a foster parent is her calling.

“I’ve been a caregiver all my life. It’s what God put me on this earth for,” she said, “I’m a caregiver for a reason – this is what I need to do. There’s a huge need for foster parents, and I feel so fortunate to be called to help them. I’ll do this as long as I can. As long as I’ve got love to give, I’m going to give it to children who need it.”

While fostering is indeed a calling, Evans believes anybody can do it, as long as they are willing to be patient, and work to understand what the child is going through. There will always be issues and difficult moments, but with the right support system, like Choices for Life, anyone can make a difference in a child’s life.

“You have to be willing to put something in it… to put all of yourself in it,” she said. “It can be discouraging at times, but then, there comes a moment. A moment where you see that the child knows you love them… that you care about them. There is nothing more rewarding.”

If you’re interested in exploring the possibility of becoming a foster parent, contact Choices for Life.