Over 100 years ago, Wood's Homes was founded on the idea that opening one's home to those in need was the right thing to do. That first act by our founder, Reverend George Wood, who took in the children of a soldier leaving for war, was the start of our dedication to fostering and marked the humble beginnings of our organization.

Today, our Foster Care Network is one of the largest fostering programs in the country. We work with some amazing families to provide comfort for youth in need. One such family has been willing to tell us of their fostering experience and we're happy to share that with you today.

*Note: For confidentiality reasons, the family's name has been changed.

After my wife and I had our third child, we decided to leave Vancouver to explore new opportunities in Calgary. Our children are 13, 9 and 7 and we now call this city home.

Calgary has certainly treated us well. We are a very close family that enjoys a variety of activities from soccer and curling, to piano and tap dancing. We love spending time together at home and on vacation.

Among the many unexpected adventures we have had since arriving in Calgary is becoming a foster family!

While we are relatively new at it, we have given our hearts and home to a couple of infants and have approached fostering as a 5-person team. Our children are so supportive and loving of our foster children that it makes it easy to provide a soft place to land for these little ones for as long as they need, whether it be just a few weeks or the rest of their lives.

We chose to become foster parents because we were no longer able to have more children of our own. After meeting with several foster parents, we were encouraged to try fostering, hoping it might one day lead to adoption.

Why become a foster parent? It’s a huge and worthwhile investment to make a difference in someone else’s life. People often told me my heart would be broken once foster children leave my home, but I understand by letting go we have given them a loving and safe environment.  It is definitely worth it and has greatly enriched our lives.