Since Tina McGuire was 12 years old, she’s wanted to be a foster or adoptive mom.
As she and her husband Ken considered having children, Ken’s unexpected brain cancer and long road to recovery put a temporary halt to any plans.
Tina later found out she was pregnant.
“I miscarried, and the fallout was hard on our family. It was the ‘what could’ve been’ that was the hardest,” Tina shared.
Amid this grief, Tina and Ken met Caleb Naugle through Tina’s job. Later, Caleb introduced them to his father, Wayne, Families 4 Families’ CEO.
“When we were talking, the topic of kids came up,” Tina recalls.
She shared more of her and her husband’s story with Wayne, and he invited the McGuires to attend a Families 4 Families information session to learn more about fostering.
“We went to a church for the intro class and met a couple we instantly clicked with,” she shared.
What Tina didn’t know was that this new couple would play a part in her adopted daughter’s story.
“I got a call from Wayne’s wife Kelli that there was a baby girl who needed a home, but our home wasn’t going to be approved in time,” Tina said. “She happened to go home with our friends. As soon as we were approved, we brought her home, and that couple ended up being her godparents.”
The McGuires started attending church with their new friends and found a vibrant foster care community within the church body.
“This church is very safe for foster families,” she said. “There are behaviors and all these things that you never think about until you’re in foster care. Our congregation never thought twice [about stepping in to help].”
Since 2017, Tina and Ken have welcomed almost 20 children into their home, but their foster care journey has been far from easy. Their daughter has long stretches in the hospital and still struggles with health concerns, while other children’s behavior and trauma struggles have worn Tina and Ken down.
In difficult days, the McGuires have found support in their community.
“[Families 4 Families] makes sure you have a family, a church and people surrounding you because you need that community. You need somebody’s shoulder to cry on,” Tina shared.
“In the hard times, we’ve got people bringing us meals and helping us with respite care if we have other children in the house.”
When faced with a hard decision for one placement in particular, Tina and Ken turned to Families 4 Families and the foster care community.
“The foster care community never judged us,” she said. “Brette [Safadi, Tina’s former case manager and current Families 4 Families COO] was the first person I called for advice. She instantly stopped, dropped and prayed with me.”
The McGuires’ church has also stepped up to surround the family with love and support.
“We understand [the children] are hurt. We understand their behavior is them trying to process in their little heads everything that’s happening,” Tina said. “Our church took it upon themselves to host a class and learn more about where these kids are coming from. So when they pray for foster families, when they talk to us, we feel safe and not judged.”
Ken and Tina adopted their second child, a baby boy in 2022 and have since transitioned to primarily providing respite care, offering temporary relief and assistance to other foster families by welcoming placements from these families.
After close to eight years as foster parents, the McGuires have learned to adjust, remain flexible and lean on their community.
“We learn a lot from the kids in the best way. We make our mistakes, but we don’t do it twice because there are little hearts involved,” Tina said. “Foster care will humble you in a heartbeat.
“If the going gets tough, sometimes that means that you’re doing the right thing.”
