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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1980-11-20, Page 10Page 10 Citizens News November 20, 9SO Foster made 'S:pecial Ki parents: 19 their home with Denommes By MARY ALDERSON Bob Denomme Mom and The living room is small, Dad. but very cozy and warm. Mr. and Mrs. Denomme Framed snapshots sit on the have been taking in foster buffet, the television and the children of all ages, shapes coffee table. Photographs and sizes for nine years. The cover the walls. day I visited with them, their During the past nine years. home was unusually quiet. 19 different children have There were no children at all called this place home. And that day -= a very strange they have called Helen and thing for the Denommes. Just that morning a foster child -- a tiny three month old baby -- moved out. The baby had lived with the Denom- mes since her birth. Now she was going home with her real mother. Her mother was an unwed teenager, who didn't think she could look after the baby when it was born, so she gave it to Huron County Family and Children Services. The baby was placed under the Denom- mes' foster care. However, the baby's mother talked things over with her parents, and sorted out other problems. She and her family decided they could keep the baby in their home. FOSTER PARENTS — Helen and Bob Denomme sit on both sides of Louanne Taylor as she looks over photo albums of the Denommes' foster children. Mrs. Denomme keeps an album on each child that has lived with them. Staff photo Hensall may look for pharmacist Continued from front page damaged autos. On a suggestion by councillor Klaus Van Wieren, the village will consult with the Huron County planning department before making a final decision on the matter. Campbell said he was in favour of the drawing -up of an agreement between the company and the village to ensure that a wrecking yard was not operated from Ship your livestock with FRANK VOOGEL DASHWOOD Independent Shipper To United Co-operatives Of Ontario Livestock Department, Toronto Monday is shipping day from Varna Stockyards CALL DASHWOOD 238-2707 OR HAYFIELD 565.2636 By 7:30 A.M. For Prompt Service Also Western Stockers & Feeders Available Hensall Motors' present location. In keeping with their counterparts in Zurich, the Hensall parks board com- mittee has recommended to council that the committee have representation from the surrounding committees. The parks board requested representation from Hay and Tuckersmith townships who. presently contribute $4,800 per year to the village for recreation. Stanley township con- recation eation land have ar f saidntriChristmas a the past that they're not interested in having a member on the board. Knight said under the present par ks board bylaw the township representatives would not be permitted a vote. A decline in revenues and higher costs will see the parks board over budget by $2,800, a report to council said. In other business, council; Went into a committee -of - the -whole to consider an application by General Home Systems to decrease their taxes in accordance with section 505a of the Municipal Act.. Endorsed a resolution from the regional municipality of Peel which called for the licensing of mini bikes to control their noise levels. Filed a request from the Ontario Humane Society asking for research funds. Learned $40,000 has been received under the Ontario Home Renewal Program for 1980-81. Will send a letter to the owner of Elizabeth Court Apartments asking that tenants refrain from driving over a grass boulevard which the village is responsible for. Approved a request from the South Huron and district association for the Mentally handicapped for an ad- ditional $100 this year to cover the costs of a Hensall student who attends a school operated by the association. Learned an anti -rabies clinic will be held December 15 at the community centre under the auspices of Agriculture Canada. Learned two building permits totalling $2,500 had been issued in the month of October. Demonstration of On Wednesday the Zurich shown how to make a Women's Institute met for butterfly bow. Each one was their regular meeting in the presented with a souvenir Hay Township Hall with package from Christmas members of the committee, Place. Mrs. W. Neeb, Mrs. M. Hess Three door prizes donated and Mrs. E. Schroeder in by Christmas Place were charge. The monthly theme won by Mrs. U. Phile, Mrs. was Cultural Activities. W. Neeb and Mrs. M. Doerr. Potted plants were presented to the guest by Mrs. M. Hess. Mrs. H. Hohner presided for the business meeting. The Institute will again have their Christmas party, with each member bringing a guest. There will be a gift exchange. A $50 donation was made to the Family and Children's Service. Mrs. H. Hohner presented a thorough and interesting report of the London Area Mrs. W. Neeb, acting as Convention held in St. chairlady introduced the Marys. guests of the evening, Mrs. Mrs. V. Fisher gave a Douglas, her daughter Chris, summary of the Board and an assistant of Christ- meeting'held in Hensallfrom mas Place in Grand Bend. which was learned Zurich They demonstrated how to Institute will be responsible re -decorate an old Christ- to choose the items for the mas wreath, bow making, Institute display at the fairs. and how to assemble your Three birthdays were own Christmas corsage. remembered by singing Each lady present was "Happy Birthday". The program opened with singing the Institute Ode and repeating the Mary Stewart Collect. Mrs. G. Fleischauer as guest pianist played the ever popular "Amazing Grace". In remembrance of a faithful member "Mrs. M. McKinnon" a moments silence was observed, and a favourite hymn of hers "How great thou art", was sung by the group. While the Denommes hate best way to develop trust. to see the baby go, they are The Denommes say that on pleased to know that it will occasion they have sat up ha past midnight talking to their special children. "When a teenager asks questions, you sit and talk," Mrs. Denomme says. "But you'd like to have a couple days to think over your answers," Mr. Denomme adds. The. Denommes have also found that pets are a good way to develop trust among they By giving the child a pet of his own to care for, the child develops a sense of responsibility. Birds, rabbits, dogs and cats abound in the yard. Opening your home to foster children requires a lot of give and take on all parts. Mrs. Denomme says that the children don't always just fit in to the foster parents' life style. "We have to mold for them, too," she adds. But even though it requires giving, the rewards of foster parenting are many, the Denommes stress. One Mothers Day, Mrs. Deonm- me had 13 kids crowding into her home with good wishes. Mr. Denomme says that he enjoys the school concerts, and events like that. "Our special kids really stand out," he says. • The Denommes have kept in close touch with several schools over the years. Their special kids have attended Exeter Public School, Precious Blood school, South Huron District High School, Central Huron Secondary in Clinton. That's a lot of parent -teacher nights to go to, they say. Although the Denommes stress that the rewards are many, they say the financial rewards are few. The Family and Children Ser- vices say that the foster parents should not be out of pocket, but budgets are tightening, and inflation grows. The foster parents get a daily allowance which varies depending on the age of the child. This should cover the child's room and board. Other expenses such as medical and dental bills, clothing, school books and special items such as bicycles are covered by Family and Children's Services. They will also pay for such things as piano lessons, or hockey equipemnt, if they are desired. Yet the Denommes stress one can't go into foster parenting for the money They are finding it more and more difficult to make ends meet. Louanne Taylor says that more foster parents are needed who can see that rewards are not financial. "There's always a shortage of foster parents," Ms. Taylor says. Particularly, , they need foster parents for children with special needs, such as handicapped or retarded children. They also need foster parents for • teenagers. Ms. Taylor says that the best recruiters of foster parents are other foster parents. Friends and neigh- bours take an interest in "someone else's foster family, and soon they decide to try it themselves. As Mr. Denomme says, "If we don't do it, who's going to?" Ms. Taylor tells him that the Family and Childrens Services slogan is "Where in the world would they be without us?" ve a good home. Most of the 19 children who have lived with the Denommes have gone back with their parents. Four were adopted into new families. One girl, now 19, left the Denorglnes to live on her own, but still keeps in touch. In every case, when the children left their home, the Denommes felt like t y were losing a member of a very close family. This is a second marriage for both Helen and Bob Denomme. She has three children of her own, while he has two. Their children are grown. Between them, the Denommes have 18 grand- children. They have no children of their own, except for their 19 foster children. They call their foster family, their "special" kids. Louanne Taylor, foster care co-ordinator with Huron County Family and Childrens Services says that the Denommes are "special" people. She has nothing but praise for the warm atmosphere in the Denomme household. The Denommes can talk about each and every one of their 19 special children. Mrs. Denomme brings out photo albums -- one for each kid. "We must be lucky, they are all terrific kids," Mr. Denomme stresses. There are sometimes horror stories that go with the children's pictures. A tiny girl was badly abused when the Denommes got her -- she had been beaten with a wire brush. Her first photos show ugly scratches -- later her complexion was perfect. Often the children come from homes where alcohol is a serious problem. The family and children services steps in, and with counselling and working together with the family, they hope to solve problems so that the child can go home again. Sometimes the foster parents arrange for visits so that the children can see their real parents. Sometimes the real parents can talk over problems with the foster parent. Flexibility is obviously a virtue that the Denommes possess. They can handle all these problems, plus open their home to a family member on an hour's notice. When asked about what other requirements foster parents need, the Denommes stress that it is team work. Mr. Denomme is a pen- sioner, and both of them make foster caring a full time job. They took turns getting up in the night when the latest baby arrived. The only other prerequisite appears to be an ability to love and demon• strate love. Mr. Denomme describes one girl that lived with them who became very embarrassed if she saw the Denommes kiss. She had never seen love demon- strated before. Soon, however, she began to ac- cept it, and became a close member of the special fa ily. Another necessity for foster parents is -trust. You have to trust. the foster child before he or she will trust you, Mr. Denomme explains. Talking and listening is the