Of all the benefits fostering provides children and their foster families, Challenge Community Services’ foster carer Cindy says it is the joy a child brings to her whole family that matters the most. “My foster child has only been here for a few weeks but already I have gained so much from the experience,” she said.
“He has brought so much happiness to the house with his antics. Every day is joyful for all of us, just having the noise of a young person around.” While she has wanted to be a foster carer for a long time, Cindy chose to wait until her own children were old enough to enjoy the experience as well. “I’ve wanted to be a foster carer for over ten years. Now all my children are teenagers I thought the time was right to bring a young person into our lives and share it with them,” Cindy said.
“When we are sitting around the dinner table together of a night time, we all enjoy having a little person’s input into the general conversation and everyday goings on of our life.” Cindy said while her foster son brings joy, her family provides him with normality and a settled family life.“Our family can provide him with the opportunity to see how a normal family functions and the happiness a family can give,” she said.
“Something as simple as having a room of his own can mean so much: he just enjoys having his own space and being a little boy.” According to Cindy, the whole fostering experience has been made easier with the help of Challenge Community Services. “The support Challenge has provided has been fantastic. Any questions we’ve had have been dealt with quickly,” she said. “They have really listened to what I’ve had to say and have sorted any issues out in a way that suits both myself and my foster child.”
Cindy is looking forward to taking on more foster children in the future and encouraged others to become a foster carer.“The whole fostering experience has just been wonderful: we’ve had nothing but smiles on our face since he got here,” Cindy said.
Challenge Community Services will be holding a foster care information session in Goulburn on Thursday 2nd February 2017. This night is aimed at providing potential foster carers with the relevant information to help them decide if becoming a foster carer is the right decision for them and their families.
Location: The Merino Room, Goulburn Soldiers Club
Time: 5pm – 6pm
RSVP: Christina Lee (02) 8838 2700
By Tuesday 31st January 2017
For more information on becoming a foster carer please call Challenge Community Services on 1800 084 954 or visit www.challengecommunity.org.au/Foster-Care
