Foster parents honored for their work

LIMA - Guided by their faith as Christians, Joe and Dee Reffitt said they became foster parents 10 years ago because their son's childhood friend, his best friend, had been in the foster system since he was 2 years old.

They'd known the boy his entire life as he went from one foster home to another. So, the Harrod family, with their own four children, got involved becoming foster parents themselves and eventually took him in at age 15 and adopted him at 18. Today, that first boy, Rick Reffitt, is 26 years old and married, with a career as a welder.

"It snowballed from there," Dee Reffitt said Thursday evening, during Allen County Children Services annual foster family recognition banquet at the Old Barn Out Back. "We couldn't stop."

Since that first boy, the Reffitts have provided a foster home to 75 children, some of whom stayed for a couple of days, others who stayed for several years.

"You love these children," she said. "You'll have them in your heart forever."

According to Catalina Thompson, who oversees Children Services foster-parent system, the Reffitts are two of the agency's 48 licensed foster parents.

As part of National Foster Parent Appreciation Month, Children Services honored its foster parents with several awards during the banquet.

"This is just a small token we do for them to show our appreciation for all they do," Thompson said. "They have a huge impact on the lives of these children."

Scott Ferris, director of Children Services, said the agency has about 150 children in its court-ordered custody and about 32 in its permanent custody.

In any given year, Ferris said, they have custody of 200 to 250 children for some period of time, ranging from days to years. He said the need for foster parents is tremendous.

When a child is permanently removed, he said, the goal is to find an adoptive home, such as the case with the Reffitts and their first boy.

The Reffitts have two brothers in their home who hope to reunite with their father, a recovering drug addict with medical problems.

"Their dad turned them over to Children Services," Dee Reffitt said. "He wanted to get better."

Joe Reffitt said the boys' father has gotten better. However, they said, he's had strokes during his recovery, which complicates things.

"He is happy we have them," Dee Reffitt said. "When he turned them over, he prayed they would go to a Christian family. He says we are the answer to his prayer."

Joe Reffitt said their work is very time and emotionally consuming, but very rewarding.

"This is like missionary work," he said. "Some people go to Haiti. We're doing it right here in Allen County."