Couple honored for more than 40 years of fostering children
Stepping up to be a foster parent is not for the faint of heart.
Becoming a foster parent for children with special needs is even tougher.
“It has to be a ministry. If you are not called to it, you do not need to do it,” Mary Patty said.
Mary Patty and her husband Ben Patty were honored recently for their ser- vice as foster parents in Bowie County. They have been foster parents for more than 40 years and affiliated with the organization “A World for Children,” for several years.
“They have been long time foster parents in Bowie County with a rich history of supporting other families and serving special needs children,” said Gaye Beard with the organization “A World for Children.”
They have been recognized as Foster Parents of the Year and helped others train to become foster parents.
The couple is licensed with “A World for Children” and have offered therapeutic foster care to children with disabilities; helping them to move back home to a safer environment or transition to an adoptive home.
“Because of them, ‘A World for Children’ is in Bowie County now,” Beard said. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency, A World For Children contracts with and is licensed by the State of Texas to provide foster and foster-to-adopt services for abused and neglected children across the State. The agency began in 1997 with a single office in Round Rock. Today, the organization is represented across the state, with 13 offices.
The Pattys have seen a lot of children age out of foster care. They have kept in touch with most of them.
Some of the kids attended the recent retirement reception for the couple in Nash.
“You get so much out of it,” Mary Patty said. “Sometimes your heart aches when they leave but you know you made a difference.”
Anyone interested in fostering through “A World for Children,” can call Beard at 469-865-4764 or visit the website at awfc.org.