Local foster parents Doreen and Clifford Klages were honoured this week in the BC Legislature in celebration of Foster Family Month.
Doreen says she has cared for at least 59 kids over the past 50 years. Doreen was in foster care herself and took in her first child at 20.
“When I was a teenager I said I was going to be a teacher, a nurse or a social worker and by fostering I’ve done them all.” Doreen said
She says it was an honour to be recognized in Victoria, although she was clear to point out that she knows of people that have taken in even more kids than her.
“Although I don’t know whether or not there has been people that have done more challenging children.” Doreen said “At one time we had fire starters, schizophrenia, ADHD, FAS and an autistic child in our house all at one time.”
Those challenges opened her and her husband’s eyes to the wide array of disabilities facing people and that lack of resources at their disposal.
She says many of the children that came through their home have become permanent family members. “Christmas is a busy time” she said with a laugh.
“For instance, he just had a quadruple bypass” Doreen said motioning to Clifford “And they were on facebook saying, give our love to Dad! We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Dad! That kind of support; it’s been good.”
But along with the highs, come the difficult moments.
“One of our girls was with us from 7. We took her in, graduated her, married her off. I made her wedding dress and then there was a funeral because she was killed in a car accident.”
When Doreen met MLA Shirley Bond in Victoria this week, she says she talked about the need for some sort of support network for foster parents who lose their foster children. She says her and her husband have gone through it twice and it’s heartbreaking. “They are in your home, you feed them, clothe them, it’s like their your own.”
She says she was discouraged by the bickering in the BC Legislature over recent scandals surrounding the Ministry of Children’s and Family Development
“Rather than see what I saw, at opening of legislature where they tore at Minister Stephanie Cadieux. I would rather they had said ‘here is our solution’ or ‘we would like to discuss a solution’ instead of just making abrasive comments.
Doreen and Clifford were recognized for the 25 annual Foster Family month this October. There are currently 5,300 children and youth in foster care in BC.
Something going on in the Prince George area you think people should know about?
Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].
