Diakon Adoption & Foster Care Services was presented with a $50,000 state grant from Sen. Patty Kim and Rep. Dave Madsen to support the recruitment and training of foster and adoptive families across the region. The funding will help strengthen Diakon’s efforts to recruit, prepare and support families willing to open their homes to children in need of safety, stability, and permanency.
“We are grateful for the support of Sen. Kim and Rep. Madsen, and for their recognition of the ongoing need for foster and adoptive families in our communities,” said Diakon Presiden and CEO Shari VanderGast. “This funding will help us continue building strong support systems for families while expanding recruitment efforts to connect with more individuals from all backgrounds who want to make a difference in the lives of children and youth in care.”
For foster and adoptive parent Sara Trower, the support she has received has made a meaningful difference in her own fostering journey.
Trower, a single parent of four children, including two children she adopted from foster care and two children currently placed with her through foster care, shared how fostering has shaped her family and perspective.
Her home is centered around structure, consistency and support to help children feel safe, stable and secure. Trower said she has always considered herself a caretaker and remembers asking her own mother about foster care when she was just 12 years old. Guided by the belief “I do what I can, when I can,” she became a resource parent, opening her home to children in need.
Now serving as a foster parent for nearly five years, Trower describes the experience as both challenging and deeply meaningful.
“Foster care is about making sure children have what they need to thrive physically, mentally and emotionally,” Trower said. “It’s about showing up consistently, creating stability and making sure children feel seen, accepted and cared for.”
She added that fostering has strengthened her parenting skills and changed her perspective in unexpected ways, particularly in how she approaches structure, support and helping children navigate different needs and experiences.
Diakon Adoption & Foster Care Services provides foster care, adoption, and family support services for children and families throughout Pennsylvania.
