A Counselor’s Calling
For many people, summer camp is an integral part of childhood. Roasting s’mores, sleeping in a bunk bed, and singing songs around the campfire is what summer and being a kid is all about. Often, those campers turn into counselors and then have the ability to recreate for others the magic they once experienced. Beyond that, being a summer camp counselor can inspire the way you want to raise your family, and that’s exactly what it did for Stacy McDowell.
Stacy was first introduced to and inspired by the idea of fostering as a teenager. Many of the campers she looked after as a summer camp counselor were in foster care, and she knew she could impact those children beyond the boundaries of the summer season. While becoming a foster parent was always in mind, it was reinforced as she began her career as an elementary school teacher. The children in her classroom experiencing foster care were close to her heart, just like they were when she was a camp counselor.
Stacy decided to open her home to children in need after purchasing her first house, beginning her journey as a single foster mom.
It Takes A Village
Over the last seven years, Stacy has provided a loving home for 89 children. With seven kiddos in her care right now, alongside two adopted into her family forever, Stacy is grateful for the support of her community who show up for her in unique ways every day.
In the ways Stacy’s community has supported her, she hopes others will be inspired to join the village it takes to care for kids in foster care and make an impact — big or small.
“I pray that more people will become involved in foster care,” Stacy said. “You don’t have to have foster kids living with you to help. Find foster families and see if you can bring a meal, offer to babysit, let them go on a date night (or friend night if they’re single!), or send a Venmo so the family with a ton of kids can do something fun!”
A Home For All
Children from seven weeks to 18 years old pass through the McDowell home with varying lengths of stay. Whether in her care for a short or long-term stay, Stacy ensures each child is loved, advocated, and cared for.
Once reunified with their family or a more permanent solution, Stacy feels grateful to maintain connection with the children she cared for long after they depart her home.
“The most special part about being a foster mom is the relationships I form with the kids and their parents,” Stacy said. “Partnership parenting has been my favorite unexpected blessing. All of my kids that have reunified, I can still see them and remain in their lives which is such a blessing.”
While providing a safe and loving landing space for those who may need it most, Stacy wishes folks outside of the foster care community had a greater understanding that children in care aren’t “bad kids.”
“They have so much trauma, such a hard time trusting people, and they need to see that there are people who won’t give up on them,” Stacy said.
For the 89 children who have landed in Stacy’s care over the last seven years, they know she will not give up on them.
The Spark She Shares
As Stacy continues to make an impact on the foster care community one child at a time, she knows becoming a foster parent isn’t something everyone can do. Rather, she hopes people find small ways to make a difference for others and find their spark to inspire change, just like she did at summer camp.
“Not everyone can foster, but everyone can do something,” Stacy said. “I am so honored to be able to live this life. It is my greatest joy, highest calling, and biggest blessing.”
This true story is brought to you by The McDowell Family. If you or someone you know is a foster family and are interested in sharing your story with us, please visit Tell Your Story.
Created by Keeley Lamm, Bananas Foster