The Faces of Foster Care
In this month’s ‘Have a Heart’ report, we’re not going to introduce you to a child in need of adoption.
Instead, we are highlighting the need for foster homes. In Washoe County [Nevada], there are an estimated 900 kids in the foster system, but just about 400 homes.
Zack and Raina Stetson are just one of those families taking kids in
“We’ve just really fallen in love with the work of helping families reunify,” Raina said.
For the last five years, they have opened their homes to kids in Washoe County, putting a special focus on reuniting families. In
“Our focus was to be a safe place for kids,” Zack said. “When we help these families become stronger then they become a stronger part of that community.”
Inspired by their church, the couple has now sheltered about 10 kids. The first one came when their own daughter was just a toddler. Raina compares the experience to having twins since the two were just a few months apart in age. It was a new experience in more ways than one, but the couple says they embraced the challenge head-on.
“We kind of looked at each other and said, Why not now?,” Raina said. “What’s stopping us from doing it now, instead of, you know, when our daughter’s older, so we went ahead and took the leap of faith.”
It’s been a journey of growth, not just for the kids they shelter, but for the Steton’s daughter as well.
