Airmen open heart, home to children in need Published May 17, 2005 By Staff Sgt. Jennifer Redente 89th Airlift Wing Public Affairs ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md. (AFPN) -- More than 523,000 children nationwide are in foster care because their families are in crisis and unable to provide for their essential needs, according to child welfare agency officials. May is National Foster Care Month.One family here has opened its heart and home to some of those children the past eight years.“This has been a lifelong dream of my wife, Dawn,” said Master Sgt. David Williams, 89th Airlift Wing command post senior controller. “I saw the need and wanted to assist little ones in distressed situations and wanted to be part of a solution—no matter how temporary.”“Nearly 11,000 children in Maryland are in foster care,” said Duane St. Clair, Maryland League of Foster and Adoptive Parents president. “About 18,000 children will age-out of the system this year.”Since 1997, Sergeant Williams and his wife have welcomed nearly three dozen children into their home.“We’ve cared for about 30 children over the years,” he said. “Right now we are currently caring for four boys in our home.”The reasons why children are temporarily placed in foster care range from one or a combination of neglect, endangerment, abuse or situations where a child becomes an orphan.Foster parents care for children who are not in their custody. They are willing and able to provide care for children and nurture those who enter their homes. Foster parents are required to complete an application, undergo home assessments and attend training. The duration of each child’s stay in a foster home is on a case-by-case basis.“Family reunification is the main goal of the program,” Sergeant Williams said.Depending on the circumstances, a child may be placed in a foster home for one day, or for several months, according to the National Foster Parent Association Web site.Placement is for as long as it takes to achieve a permanent home for the child, whether the plan is to reunite the child with his or her family, find a home with relatives or adoption.When a child is not able to return to his home or live with family members, foster parents may be considered as adoptive parents.In the Williams’ household, adoption has not only happened once or twice, but three times.“We have one daughter through our marriage and have adopted three girls of whom we have fostered,” said Sergeant Williams.He said he has gained a greater appreciation for the simple things, as well as love and patience formed by the children he has cared for through the years. The master sergeant said his reason for being a foster parent is the thousands of children requiring temporary living arrangements while their home life is improved.Sergeant Williams said those with hearts large enough to care for neglected children should “be real and be about the children – have their best interest at heart.”For more information on foster care, visit the NFPA Web site at www.nfpainc.org, Casey Family Services at www.caseyfamilyservices.org, or National Foster Care Month at www.fostercaremonth.org.