EXCEPTIONAL PSI FOSTER PARENTS
PSI FAMILY SERVICES, INC.
proudly presents exceptional foster families
who have joined in partnership with us to become
A CHILD'S BEST MEMORY.

*The photographs used in this article do not represent the families in this article.

Meet Valerie and Timothy Archie...
the Glen Park neighborhood in Gary, Indiana.

The Archies have been married for 14 years. Mr. Archie is a manager for Target. He graduated from Horace Mann High School in Gary and Devry Institute in Chicago. Mrs. Archie is a Lew Wallace graduate. She too is a manager of sorts; she tends to the day-to-day needs of a constant stream of kids in and out of her home.

At a very young age, Valerie Archie was impressed by her next-door neighbor's generosity as a foster parent. Ever since, she has been determined to show that same sense of caring and experience the satisfaction that comes along with being a foster mom. 

In addition to raising four daughters of their own, Valerie and Timothy Archie become PSI foster parents in January 1998. "When we first got one of our children, he was a very sad child. He hardly ever smiled. As we worked with him and he saw that we really cared, he began to come around. He's at the point now where he is always laughing and smiling. I believe that bonding that occurred and the stability that we provided showed him we really did care. Such to the point that he now calls us his second real family." "With incredible support from PSI, foster parenting has added a whole new and beautiful dimension to our lives," the Archies said. "Not only have we been treated to six additional meaningful relationships with children, but in many ways we have become better parents to our own kids. We definitely are more attentive to their needs and know better what to say and not say after dealing with so many different personalities."

MEET THE LEISSES
PSI FOSTER PARENTS 

Marie and John Leiss of Ridgely, Maryland became PSI foster parents in 1995. John is a microwave engineer for Wireless Facilities, Inc., and Marie is a full-time homemaker. They have six grown children who no longer live at home. Marie is a dedicated and extremely organized foster parent, and her day planner is filled with appointments and activities for her foster children.

During the past six years, three foster children have lived with the Leisses' family. Two of the children remained with them for significant periods of time. Larry (not his real name), age five, was placed with the Leisses' home in 1996. He has multiple disabilities. Prior to Larry's arrival, Marie spent two nights and three days with Larry at Easton Memorial Hospital to learn how to care for his needs. He requires gastrointestinal tube feedings and he has a trachea. 

He has thrived in the Leiss' home and is making great strides. He has gained weight and is happy and active.

The Leisses made a personal commitment to Larry. Marie transported Larry to Towson State University three times a week so that Larry could receive speech therapy. They also made numerous trips to Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore several hundred miles away for treatment.

Jessie, age seventeen, an older teen in the home, is a student at a local high school and is a member of the track team. He has been in the Leisses' home for nearly three years. Jessie hopes to become a carpenter. With the help and encouragement of the Leisses, Jessie has become an excellent student, earning A's and B's on his report card.

MEET DAISY DEATON
PSI FOSTER PARENT

Nawa (Not her real name) "is an excellent young lady who has always taken her work seriously," comments Daisy Deaton, Nawa's PSI foster mother, who lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. "She believes that boys and school do not mix – she would rather study hard now and play later. She uses her time efficiently, knowing when to study, do home chores, work part time and go for recreation. She is a great role model to other foster children, especially teenagers who also live with me."

After Nawa completes her studies, she would like to go back to visit her mother in Ghana, whom she has not seen since she left for the United States with her father, a U.S. citizen, in 1996. They write each other often. Nawa is also open to developing a new, more caring relationship with her father, who lives in Philadelphia.

PSI staff in Philadelphia often point to the success Ms. Daisy Deaton has had confronting the challenges of teenage foster children. Thanks to the loving care and understanding of Ms. Deaton, Nawa has developed her skills and ambition to become a great role model for all young adults, not just other teenage foster children.

MEET THE BROOKS
PSI FOSTER PARENTS

Ellen and Warren Brooks have been foster parents for nearly twenty years. They have taken 45 children into their home and hearts, providing the love and guidance they knew troubled children needed.

The Brooks have been married for 31 years and have two grown daughters and four grandchildren. Warren is an engineer with the Prince Georges County, Maryland public school system. Now a full-time homemaker, Ellen was in nursing services for twenty years at several hospitals, including Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C.; she also worked as a laboratory technician.

"When we got married, we wanted many children. We had a big house that wasn't yet full, so we became foster parents," says Ellen. "We wanted to give children stability. We saw a great need for children to have a place to be and really call home."

A registered nurse, Ellen wanted to ensure that children in need are cared for properly. She rarely turns down the opportunity to have a child in her home when she has room, regardless of the child's medical or physical challenges. Through the years, she has taken in 12 special-needs children. One was particularly special to Ellen, a little girl who shared her love of classical music. "She was my only child who loved the music I love; she wanted to listen to music with me all the time. We really wanted to adopt her, but she went back to live with her mother."

At times, the Brooks have had more than one child living with them simultaneously. "The children were different races and colors, but they all called me 'Mom'", Ellen says proudly. "When I took them to the grocery store and they'd call 'Mom' 'Mom' to get my attention, people would look at me kind of funny."

Recently, the Brooks had three siblings with them for five years. Their mother was drug addicted, and they had been abused by their father. The nine children in the family were taken into foster care until they were able to live independently or go into a group home together. A teen mother came to the Brooks when she was 16 and had already had a child at age 14. She is now happily married with three children, and she considers Ellen her mother and her children's grandmother. Ellen visits her "second grandchildren" often.

Ellen sees her foster parent role as a Caregiver and mother, or in some cases, their grandmother. "My purpose is to love them and give them everything I can possibly give them. When they're in my home, they're my kids."

The Brooks make a special effort to expose their kids to things and places that they might not have known before. They go out to eat frequently, and, like all kids, their favorite restaurants are buffets. They go to cultural landmarks and attractions in the area, to the zoo, and on camping trips. A friend owns a horse farm, which they visit once a week in the summer. And every year, the family goes to Disney World in Florida for a week. "In the summer, we never stay indoors," says Ellen. "We all love to get out and have a good time."

Currently, the kids at the Brooks' PSI foster home are in school during the day, but Ellen has a lot to keep her busy. She is very active in her church as well as other community activities. And she doesn't have to do it all by herself. "The kids come in at the end of the day, and they know what they have to do. They support me, and I support them."

Ellen is still in contact with several of her former foster children, including one who is in college and another who just graduated from college. "I want to know how they turn out. I try to show them that there's something better out there for them. They're always anxious to find out what's next," she says.

Ellen and Warren acknowledge that being a foster parent isn't always easy. "Sometimes it's hard and tough, especially when you take in a 'throw-away kid' whom no one wants. They're understandably angry. You have to hang in and be there for a child like that. They really do need your help."

"I feel that I'm doing a service for these children. I don't feel like I'm special," Ellen emphasizes. "You have to put yourself in their places. They've been abandoned and abused. I always think what would I do in that situation. This is what I was put here to do – to take care of these children and provide a loving home."