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Maurice and Darla Gallant figure they have fostered about 200 kids on P.E.I. in the last 35 years.
There have been many, many ups and, yes, there have been some downs, they say.
But Maurice says they’ve gotten more out of it than they’ve given.
“As we get older, sometimes … you might have regrets about whether you did this career or that career. But the one thing we never have regretted doing was foster parenting.”
The Gallants spoke at a symposium on foster parenting Saturday in Summerside. The event was hosted by the Department of Social Development and Seniors on P.E.I.
Always a need for more
David Arbing, a resource supervisor with the Child and Family Services division, said there’s a strong network of foster families on the Island. But there’s always a need for more.
“You might think, like, I don’t have enough time or maybe I’m not the right candidate to be a foster parent but come and meet with us and we can help,” Arbing said.
Foster parents must be at least 21 years old and a resident of P.E.I. Children may stay for a few days or several months or years, depending on the situation. Foster children are reunited with their birth parents as soon as possible
Foster parents receive monthly compensation, and support from social workers. They must undergo criminal record and child-protection record checks.
The Gallants have fostered everyone from teenagers to infants. Many are still in touch.
Some of these kids are just very loving and you know, they are just very appreciative of what we try to do for them.— Maurice Gallant
They met their first foster child in a hospital decades ago while visiting a friend. He was being discharged and had nowhere to go, Maurice said.
“So we said come and live with us. And so he did…. We just thought it would be temporary. And you know, probably 35 or more years later, we’re still fostering. That’s kind of how it started.”
Maurice said their family was a good fit because Darla was able to stay home with their three biological children. He said the majority of foster kids were “wonderful.”
Takes a ‘strong marriage’
“Some of these kids are just very loving and … just very appreciative of what we try to do for them,” he said.
“But, like any family, you’re going to have issues, you’re going to have things that come up.”
The Gallants said fostering is a team effort, and they couldn’t do it without mutual support.
“It takes a strong marriage. It takes a commitment,” Maurice said.
“But Darla has certainly been kind of at the forefront of what we’ve done. She’s remarkable in terms of the care that she’s been able to give to people.”
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