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Lulu's story: How specialized foster care changed one suburban family's life

Submitted by Lekas & Levine PR

When Michelle and Erik Holman and their two boys moved from Chicago to a bigger house in the Northwest suburbs, they decided to become a foster family.

"We felt so blessed," Michelle Holman said. "We agreed to share this blessing by serving a family in need."

The Holmans joined Allendale Association's Specialized Foster Care Program, which is for kids with extensive medical and psychological needs. After completing the required screening, training and inspections, they earned their foster license.

Shortly thereafter, they received a call about a 1-year-old girl with numerous medical issues. Were they up for fostering her?

After meeting her in the hospital, "Lulu stole our hearts."

The Holmans knew upfront that the plan was for Lulu to be reunited with her biological parents, provided they met certain state-mandated requirements. In the meantime, the Holmans would provide her with a safe, loving home and attend to her medical needs.

Life became a whirlwind of long nights, doctors' appointments, case worker visits, and court dates. Through it all, their boys, Daniel and Jackson, played with Lulu endlessly, helped with her physical therapy, and cheered her every milestone. In return, Lulu continued to defy expectations, learning to walk shortly after her second birthday.

While her biological family attempted to meet their goals, after nearly three years, the decision was made for Lulu to be placed for adoption. Were the Holmans interested?

"We'd fallen in love with her long before," Holman said. "So, we said, OF COURSE!!!"

While not all foster arrangements result in a permanent happily-ever-after, even temporary foster families can transform a child's life.

"There is a desperate need for families who want to foster kids with specialized needs," said Jason Keeler, President and CEO of Allendale.

Studies show that many adults are interested in fostering but never pursue it because they don't think they'll qualify. While many mistakenly believe that foster parents must be married, own a house and stay home, great foster parents come from all walks of life.

Michelle Holman's advice to would-be foster parents: "I'd look into the level of support the agency provides. With Allendale, we never had a hard time getting hold of our case workers. We received continuous training, plus dinners and meetings with foster families so we could support each other."

Allendale, a private, not-for-profit child welfare agency in Lake Villa, has managed its Specialized Foster Care Program since 1974. Each child receives a dedicated care team, which includes trained case workers, therapists, nurses and more. Foster parents not only lean on that team, they become part of it. Along with ongoing coaching and consults, foster parents receive monthly financial support and 24/7 live support.

"Fostering is messy, loud, busy, heartbreaking, fun, hilarious, joyful and everything in between," said Holman, noting that her family is open to fostering again and having a "new adventure."

Allendale is actively recruiting new foster parents and is eager to answer questions from the public. For more information, visit Allendale4Kids.org or call (847) 356-3322.

After several years as a foster child in Allendale Association's Specialized Foster Care Program, Lulu was adopted by the Holman family in June. Courtesy of Lekas & Levine PR
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