Carter County Foster Parents Recognized During Black History Month
Library: News Release
Phone: (405) 522-3123
Fax: (405) 522-3146
e-mail: Beth.Scott@okdhs.org
OKLAHOMA CAPITOL -- Carter County residents Delky and Cynthia Godwin say love, laughter and a powerful desire to help children are the big reasons they enjoy taking foster children into their homes.
“The Godwins are amazing, “says Ramona Heartsill, a former OKDHS foster-care recruiter, of the couple recognized for their work during the Martin Luther King Celebrations and Black History Month.
Heartsill says the Godwins – who have provided foster care for nine foster children over the past six years – are good foster bridge parents because they are determined to help youngsters who are placed in their home and because of their commitment to their community they are involved in many community activities.
Cynthia Godwin says the three boys and one girl currently in foster care at her home provide smiles, laughter and a great deal of happiness to each other and to the Godwin family.
The family’s contribution to helping foster bridge children fills a critical need in the Carter County area, Heartsill says, but about 125 more children are waiting to go into foster care than beds available in homes in the 8-county area.
Moving the children to counties outside their geographical region means a foster bridge child’s biological family has farther to travel to visit the child’s temporary home.
“We try to place them as close as possible to biological family members,” Heartsill says. “I wish we had enough foster bridge parents available to handle every foster child in the area.”
Heartsill and her husband have personally shouldered part of the foster-care load. They have two Native American foster children in their home.
She says the Godwins – who are black – help African-American foster children deal with cultural issues that may arise in foster care situations.
“But they’ve been foster bridge parents for kids from other races, too,” she says. “They have a profound effect on the children because of the tremendous amount of love and security they provide.”
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