Just before Thanksgiving, siblings ages 5, 7, and 10, came into foster care at Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois. They needed more than a home. They needed love. They needed stability. And they needed to stay together.
It seemed that finding a home to take three children right before the holidays might be difficult. But when we reached out to their Aunt Donna* and Uncle Daniel,* they didn’t even hesitate. They were already parenting two older teens of their own, one with a baby. Life was full. Life was busy. Still, they opened their hearts and their home. They knew keeping these children in the family and together was the right thing to do. Even though financially it would be a stretch.
It wasn’t easy. The children had grown up thus far with very little. They needed help learning everyday things like brushing their teeth and washing up daily. Slowly, they started to feel safe. They started to smile. They started to thrive. But they still missed their parents.
Three extra kids also meant three extra mouths to feed, three extra bodies to clothe, and Christmas brought three extra children to provide gifts for. Overwhelming? Absolutely. But LCFS was able to find extra community supports for food and clothing. And thanks to the generosity of LCFS donors over the holidays, Donna and Daniel were able to place special presents for each child under the Christmas tree.
Christmas morning came. The children stumbled sleepily to the living room rubbing their eyes in disbelief. Santa had visited!
Sunlight spilled through the window. The rustle of wrapping paper. The laughter. They opened gifts—each one a surprise, each one just for them. Ooooh! Aaaah! Smiles so big you could see them from across the room.
Donna and Daniel sat back watching while sipping their coffee. It was priceless. They were so grateful!
Michael, their LCFS foster care supervisor, said, “It gives people a different perspective when the focus is on supporting families. It really takes a village to raise a child, and moments like this show how our community steps in to help. Thank you. You may never meet these families, you may never see their smiles, but your generosity makes this all possible.”
You gave children joy. You showed them love. You gave them memories of a Christmas they’ll always remember. Thank you!
*To protect privacy, names and images are representational only.