Foster families enjoy bowling, visiting friends

About a hundred foster children, their parents and employees of the 32nd Circuit Children's Division got together at Jackson Bowling Alley for food, bowling and visiting with each other and Santa on Saturday.

"The party gives children the opportunity to see they're part of a larger community," said FPA president Jack McDonald.

An FPA member and foster parent for 42 years, Joyce Moyers of Cape Girardeau has fostered more than 150 children in her home. "My aunt was a foster parent. My dad was raised in a foster home. It was just something I had to do," she said.

Despite the nurturing and love foster parents set out to give, there are always the stories that turn out sad. Irene Bostic of Cape Girardeau, 71, just passed the Dec. 5 anniversary of the death of one of her foster children.

"He would've been 24," she said. "He died 18 years ago."

She and her husband retired from foster parenthood eight years ago when they moved to a smaller house. Fall rolled around with no children to get back to school for the first time in 38 years for the Bostics. "After a while I started back doing respite care. Now I have three full-timers, 9, 12 and 15, and I do respite care as well." Respite care allows those who look after the ill or disabled to have time off.

Around a table, twin sisters Jackie and Jessie, Krissie and Trent, all teenagers living in foster care, sat together and passed around a lifelike doll that Trent brought as part of a weekend assignment for family and consumer science class. They snacked and talked instead of bowling.

The twins were especially happy to see each other since this is the first Christmas they have been apart. The two see each other at an independent living class on Tuesdays. For Jackie this is an especially happy Christmas because the foster family she's been with for 10 months makes her happy. She plans on spending time with her foster family and giving them presents.

Victoria, 19, and her 15-year-old sister are happy this year, too, because they are together. They've been together for four years, but there was one year they were apart. Victoria said her foster parents were understanding about the situation, but it was still rotten. The girls have a 20-year-old brother they're concerned about. They can't seem to locate him. They believe he's either overseas or in jail.

"We'll eventually track him down," Victoria said. For her, happiness is at home. "My foster parents are the best. They listen and care about me and when I have problems they listen."

The party was funded by contributions made by the Foster Parents Association, Ferrell Lumber in Illinois, a grant from Wal-Mart, a memorial given in honor of Dan Upchurch (a long-term foster parent who recently died) and many local businesses.

cpagano@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 133