Support the Kim & Bill White Family - help modify a van for Zack

Kim & Bill White have been foster or group home parents since 1992. In that time, they have provided a safe, loving, and generous home to literally hundreds of foster children and troubled teens. They have picked up newborns from the hospital, helped teens prepare to age out of the system, and everything in between. Most foster families have some restrictions on the children they are willing to accept, but not the Whites. They have parented a teen mom, children of all ages with significant behavioural problems, and medically-needy infants - including one sweet baby who came to them terminally ill and died in their loving arms.

They considered becoming medical foster parents for many years, but it wasn’t until Kim was finishing her schooling for Respiratory Therapy that they finally took the leap. Although Kim is now unable to work outside the home because of the time she must devote to their foster children, Kim wonders why it took her so long to commit to medical foster care - it is truly her calling. When I met Kim, there were 8 children living in her home: 3 biological and 5 foster. Even though Florida limits all foster homes to a maximum of 5 children, Kim has always been willing and able to handle much more. Her heart is far bigger than any arbitrary cap set by the state. In addition to her children and community activities (as a Girl Scout troop leader), Kim gives even more of her time to the children in foster care, by mentoring other foster parents. She is happy to answer the phone at 2pm or 2am to ease the frantic concerns of new foster parents. She never hesitates to speak up for her fellow foster parents - or provide constructive criticism and correction.

After all these years of fostering, Kim & Bill are on the verge of celebrating their first adoption. Zack is 4-years-old and confined to a wheelchair, due to a myriad of medical conditions. Zack requires round-the-clock care, most of which is provided by Kim. He also has many medical appointments (including fairly frequent trips to the ER) and it is challenging for Kim to travel with him alone, because it’s very difficult to lift him.

The Whites never want to leave Zack behind on outings, but a regular-sized van just isn’t big enough to carry Zack, all of his stuff, and the rest of the family. So they end up having to sacrifice even more activities due to lack of space.

Kim and Bill were recently able to get a (very) used 15-passenger van, but it needs some work before the family can use it. The van needs repairs and they need to have a lift and wheelchair tie-downs installed before they can safely and easily transport Zack.

All foster families pass up things like newer cars, and extras for ourselves, so foster kids don’t have to. And every forever child of a foster parent sacrifices time with their parents so that we can be there for the Littles that need us. But in the time I’ve known them, and for many years before that, the White family has made more sacrifices than any five families could be expected to in their lifetime. And even still, they can always been counted upon to not only go the extra mile, but redraw the map and go beyond that.