One of the biggest misconceptions about foster parents is that they are weird and strange people.
Dr. John DeGarmo is a dynamic speaker and informative trainer on the foster care system. He travels extensively to help educate foster parents, child welfare workers, churches, schools, and more. Dr. John and his wife have opened their home to over 50 children in the foster care system and are always finding new ways to help. Now, Dr. John is seeking funding for his Never Too Late Foster Care Group Home for boys 9 years old and up. This episode is part two of a three-part interview underlining the main problems traditional foster care systems are unable to solve and what we can do about it.
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[4:05] A couple of days ago Dr. John was on Good Morning America. [5:20] Why did Dr. John want to become a foster parent? [7:05] On any given day, Dr. John has between 7-10 kids at their home. [8:30] The trauma doesn’t go away just because a child has been put into the foster care system [10:20] Dr. John and his wife aren’t wealthy people. They live month-to-month to care for these children. [10:55] Being a foster parent requires teamwork and support from your spouse. [11:40] There are so few foster parents out there compared to the 450,000 kids in the foster care system. [12:20] When a foster child enters a new home, they need unconditional love. [14:10] Despite having read everything Dr. John could about caring for a foster child, it was very different when his first child showed up at his door. In fact, he wasn’t prepared for it. [17:45] Dr. John has had children come into his home who are on 12-14 prescription drugs. [18:10] Why are some of these children on so many prescription drugs? [20:45] What do Dr. John and his wife do to break the cycle and help these children through their traumas? [27:10] Dr. John has seen so many children recover in his household that it makes what he and his wife do worth it. [27:40] What do Dr. John’s friends and family think of all of this? [32:35] What are the top two problems foster children face? [35:20] Most children in foster care have never had a birthday party. [39:15] How is Dr. John’s GoFundMe campaign going? [45:10] How can the Giving Back community help?Mentioned in This Episode:
Never Too Late Residential Home on GoFundMe
Never Too Late Residential Home on GiveSendGo
