Blue lights were strung across the roof, and two blow-up characters stood in the yard. Multicolored bulbs lined the trees. I saw that the lower level of the house served as an office whereas, the upstairs acted as the residence. Moving into the foyer, looking up from the bottom of the stairs into the foster home’s living room, it was hard to imagine that it could feel like a home. As I stood in the entrance hall, the Christmas tree reminded me of my home in Kirkwood. I saw the house as just that, a home.

Stepping into someone else’s home, I felt awkward and intrusive, fearful I would ask the wrong question or invade the residents’ privacy. I certainly wanted them to feel more comfortable than I felt; after all, it was their home.

One 15-year-old foster child, *Sarah, has lived there for over 14 months. Fifteen to 17 children have passed through the home since then. Sarah currently lives with her 5-year-old sister and two other children,  an 8-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl.  As I talked with Sarah, I saw how the Angels’ Arms house had become her home.

“Here I feel safe – where I was before I didn’t feel safe,” Sarah said. “The electricity and water is always on here. It’s a stable home and they provide a lot for us.”

Sarah’s feelings of safety are thanks to Bess Wilfong’s founding of Angels’ Arms in 2000, after serving as a foster parent herself for many years. There are now 10 Angels’ Arms homes throughout the Saint Louis City, County and St. Charles County. Throughout the past 14 years, the various homes have fostered over 200 children.

Jesse and Becky Hughes are the foster parents for the South County home, where Sarah lives. They began fostering children with Angels’ Arms in 2003 and have fostered over 100 kids in the past 11 years. They have fostered an additional 60 children at their North County residence beginning in 1995.

Angels’ Arms has provided many opportunities for Sarah. For instance, she has been participating in a dance program at the family YMCA in South County. Sarah said she never would have had the chance to dance if she had remained in her old home. Her dance team is an extended family she said.

“I’ve always wanted to dance even when I was little and finally getting to do it is awesome,” Sarah said. “It gets everything off my mind. It’s my getaway.”

Although dancing is an escape from the struggles of the past, Sarah tries to remain in contact with her biological father. Sarah’s father started visiting her in July. He lives in Florida but flew up to see her each month this year except November. Her mother recently regained her visitation rights but has not seen Sarah since she left. Sarah hopes to move back in with her father or mother soon. She accepts her mother has made mistakes and wants to give her a second chance.

The mission of Angels’ Arms is to provide a loving, caring family household where the siblings stay together. The children are usually in the home for a few days to 15 months, but some stay for years. The Children’s Division, an organization through Missouri, works toward returning the child to their parents or relatives as soon as possible.

“[The biggest impact fostering children has had on my life] is them coming in and experiencing a father figure,” Jesse said. “I get to be a dad to lot of kids who never had a dad around or the dad was there sparingly. I get to be here 24/7 for them.”

Jesse said every child is different, and they all behave differently in the morning, some leaving the house without a word. Others, like one girl who wakes up each morning and gives him a hug before going to school, are more loving.

“[The kids] come from various backgrounds,” Amber Odom, Angels’ Arms’ administrative assistant, said. “So they have this new sense of family that they probably lacked in their homes with their biological parents. They get a sense of people who actually love and care about them.”

To help Angels’ Arms, there are opportunities to take a family on an outing, such as having lunch. People also have the option to throw a birthday party for a child, as many have never had one before, or help parents prepare dinner for their families. Donate supplies to Angels’ Arms by visiting www.angelsarms.org

Gallery • 5 Photos

Anna Mullendore

A photo of a 10-year-old foster child sitting on her bed. The children at Angels’ Arms cannot have their faces featured in any publications as a way to preserve their privacy.