For Alton Lowery, being a foster parent is about love.

"I love helping children achieve goals in everyday living," he says. "After long hours of parenting, there is a reward of being loved by a child you have helped."

 Lowery, a resident of Columbia, became a Youth Villages foster parent two and a half years ago. Since then, the single foster dad has provided a nurturing home to six children between the ages of 11 and 16, an age group Lowery says he can relate to best.

Being a foster parent -- like being a parent -- is not always easy. Finding constructive parenting techniques when things get difficult has been helpful, Lowery says.

"When a child is feeling down or sad, I never pressure the child into talking about his or her feelings," Lowery says. "I always let the children come talk to me when they are ready, and I try to engage them in positive and fun activities to help them find joy again."

Whenever there is a problem he feels he may not be able to handle himself, he counts on Youth Villages counselors' help.

"Youth Villages offers help 24 hours a day," Lowery says. "If a problem occurs, Youth Villages is right there."

But with Youth Villages' foster parent training and regular support groups, Lowery feels well-equipped to handle even potentially difficult parenting situations.

"Alton is ready to do anything to help his kids," says Paul Ramsey, a foster care Clinical Supervisor in the Youth Villages Columbia office. "His sense of humor aids him in taking on serious situations and working them to his advantage and help the children overcome their issues."

As a committed parent, he is involved in all aspects of his children's lives. One important aspect is school. He works closely with teachers to learn about his children's behaviors in school, their performance, how they socialize and their grades to make sure he and his children's teachers establish consistent rules.

"I always ask the schools and teachers what I can do to help my children," he says.

Being a foster parent also has helped Lowery discover new strengths in himself.

"Fostering children of different backgrounds and cultures will make you stronger in fields you may have been weak in and enhance your ability to care for others," he says.

But his greatest reward for being a foster parent is the impact he has had on one of his children for whom he became "dad."

"After one of my sons returned to his biological mother, he called and told me 'I love you as my dad forever.'"      

Angie and Roger Wilmoth are no less than full-time parents to their foster children. 

"I always wanted to be a foster parent," Mrs. Wilmoth says. "But my husband and I just didn't think we had the time when he was working rotating shifts."

All that changed a little more than two years ago when her husband's work schedule finally became more regular. The Wilmoths now had the time they believe they owe a child living in their home, and the couple enrolled in the Youth Villages foster parent training together. Since then, the Wilmoths have parented 10 children between the ages of 8 and 18.

Being a foster parent has not been a piece of cake, Mrs. Wilmoth admits.

"There are all kinds of challenges," she says. "When a child gets sad or angry, it's best to just listen to them and talk to them about it. Youth Villages works with us to try to resolve all issues."

Youth Villages children often have multiple issues they are struggling with. Many are removed from their homes through no fault of their own but because of family problems, including abuse, neglect, substance abuse or other issues. Protracted family conflicts leave lasting impressions on children and often show in the forms of behavioral and emotional problems, difficulties in school and maintaining positive relationships with peers and adults. The children receiving help through Youth Villages often go through residential treatment or group homes before they are ready to move in with a foster family. Youth Villages treatment foster families provide a nurturing home for a child while actively helping the child along in his or her treatment. The goal of treatment is family reunification, finding an adoptive family or independent living after the child turns 18.

The Wilmoths try hard to integrate every new child into their family routine.

"We get them involved with preparing dinner, baking, school activities and so on," she says.

They are currently foster parents to two boys, ages 13 and 14, who only recently joined their family. Every day, they are working on getting to know each other by spending family time together.

For the Wilmoths, the best part about being foster parents is when a child begins to feel at home.

"When the children recognize that we care about them and truly want the best for them," Mrs. Wilmoth says.

And when a child keeps in touch after returning to his or her biological family.

"Having the kids keep in contact," Mrs. Wilmoth says. "To find out they liked staying with us and they are doing well."

Dale and Dawn Renfro of Columbia enjoy being parents. After their first son turned 2, they decided they not only wanted more children of their own but also parent other people's children.

Two years later, the Renfros have parented 14 foster children and have celebrated the first birthday of their second biological child, their first daughter.

For the Renfros, a family is the most precious gift they can offer a child, and they want to give it to as many children as they can.

"My favorite thing about being a foster parent is making a difference in each kid's life," Mrs. Renfro says.

The Renfros made an especially big difference for one of their foster sons who had never had the chance to experience a stable family life. Regardless of the challenges, the couple was resolved to be that stable family for him. Although he now has a stable adoptive family, the Renfros continue to stay in close touch with him, and he remains a part of their family.

"They are such compassionate and dedicated parents," says Jennie Ard, foster parent recruiter, Youth Villages. "They are actively involved in all aspects of their foster children's lives, such as taking them to appointments, visits with their birth parents and making them feel part of their family. They are truly exemplary parents and foster parents with all the right qualities successful foster parents need to have -- they love children and being parents, and they are not discouraged when something goes wrong."