After fostering 47, adopting 7 kids, couple reflect on both rewarding, challenging decade

Since 2012, Irvin and Teesha Ward, of Evington, have opened their hearts and home to 47 foster children, eventually adopting seven of them, demonstrating just how transformative lives can become through endless love and selflessness.

The Wards began fostering with HumanKind Foster Care in 2012, becoming one of the organization’s first approved families. Over the years, they have provided a nurturing environment for numerous children, regardless of age or background. They had a willingness to foster teenagers, one of the most needed placements.

Among their most recent adoptions is a sibling group of four children, who were neglected and malnourished.

“It was rough in the beginning,” Irvin Ward said. “You know those commercials of African kids? All four of them looked like that.”

Through extensive medical care, therapy sessions and unwavering love, the children have thrived, Irvin and Teesha Ward said.

Irvin, the owner of a construction company, and his wife, Teesha, a former educator turned full-time caregiver for their adopted children, have faced numerous challenges along the way. From managing crises to juggling their professional endeavors with the demands of foster care, they say their journey has been both rewarding and demanding.

“You give up your space and your home for these kids. You almost sometimes will feel like you’re a prisoner within your home, and just certain rooms in your home, because you give up so much space,” Irvin said.

Despite the challenges they’ve faced, their commitment to fostering and adopting children has never wavered, Irvin said.

“It’s an excellent, beautiful opportunity to give kids an opportunity to expose them to places they’ve never been and share moments,” he said. “We took a bunch of them to Disney World in a 15-passenger van.”

Oftentimes, the children he fostered over the years weren’t used to hearing praise or receiving accolades.

“With the adversity some of these kids have gone through and to see them doing better, walking across the stage for graduation, those are the rewarding moments,” he said.

Teesha said she has a deep love for children and a passion for making a positive impact in their lives. With a background in special education and counseling, her career path naturally led her to a place where she could extend her care to vulnerable children.

She said the couple opened their home to foster care after witnessing the challenges faced by their nephew in the foster care system. Their initial intention was to help other children and families navigate through difficult situations and wanted to provide stability and support to those in need.

The Wards found themselves drawn to helping young men, recognizing the lack of role models for them. Through fostering, the couple aimed to instill values such as self-discipline, problem-solving and work ethic, often using construction work as a therapeutic outlet for the teenagers in their care.

She said the phone is always ringing, someone is always over whether it be family members of the children, social workers, case workers.

“We have helped family members with rent, transportation, taking them to church,” she said. “I think its compassion. I think both of us have that quality.”

HumanKind provided support all along the way, the Wards said.

“They offered to transport a child to an appointment, they showed their appreciation, would throw parties for foster families. They honor the parents,” Teesha said.

Essence Pennix, foster care quality assurance specialist at HumanKind, said the Wards have changed their whole lives to cater to these children.

During the Wards’ time with HumanKind, Pennix served as the middleman between foster parents and area Department of Social Services.

“We’re the ones who coordinate visits,” she said.

HumanKind also would facilitate services and put in referrals for any therapies the children need. They also coordinate with schools and go to court to follow their cases. They also help arrange visits with biological families.

“I’ve never had to help them with transporting, they take time from work to take them to all their appointments,” Pennix said.

She said the decision to become a foster parent often stems from a sense of purpose, a belief in making a difference in the lives of vulnerable children.

“I definitely think it’s because they feel like they’re called to do something,”

The process of becoming a foster parent entails rigorous background checks and preparation to ensure that prospective caregivers are equipped with the necessary skills and resources, she said. It’s not about financial incentives but rather a profound commitment to providing stability, love and support to children who have experienced trauma and displacement.

Pennix said there is diversity among foster parents, ranging from individuals with firsthand experience in the foster care system to those motivated by faith and a desire to give back to their communities.

She said flexibility is a must in a foster home as parents must attend court hearings, therapy sessions and visitations with biological parents.

“You have to be able to adjust. There are a lot of things changing. You will come across a period you have to be ready for different people to come in and out of your house, whether it’s caseworkers, social services, therapists,” she said.

Pennix said there are attachments formed between foster parents and children, knowing that reunification with biological families remains the primary goal.

The Wards have taken in children with what Pennix describes as “the craziest backgrounds” and still never said no and have treated the children as their own.

“Forty-seven is a high number, we sat down and counted, and we were like, ‘this is crazy,’” Pennix said. “They really are 360-degree support to these kids. We don’t have a lot of foster parents like them. They are truly special.”

Irvin said he and Teesha have learned more about each other along the ride.

“I’ve learned how to respect her and realized how hard she works through the day. We build off of each other’s strengths and weaknesses and make it work,” he said.

In February 2022, right when the couple were about to ask HumanKind for a break from fostering, they received a call pleading for them to take in four nonverbal siblings, all of whom had experienced neglect and needed extensive care.

“We were ready to take a timeout and went a few months with no one in the house,” Irvin said. “It felt good for a moment. You know, not having to feed all these meals and clean up this and do that. It was good, but then we got a phone call from the agency and the first thing I’m thinking was ‘How old are they?’ and then they tell us one, two, three and four and we said, ‘Oh Lord.’”

Teesha remembers the initial challenges and joys of raising these children alongside their own, and said it was important that they knew stability and love.

Last June, the Wards adopted those four children ensuring they would all stay together. In addition to three other adoptions since 2017, they now have seven adopted children alongside three biological children of their own.

“They didn’t have anybody who would step up, so it was just really sad,” she said. “We were like we have to help them and not have them split up and not have them be in the system.”

The four children all call Teesha and Irvin “mom” and “dad” now.

To accommodate more children, the Wards even added on to their home to create new bedrooms.

“One was actually supposed to be for a pool room, and another was supposed to be part of the garage for a future boat,” Irvin said as he laughed.

Despite the demanding nature of fostering, with constant appointments and social worker visits, Teesha and Irvin said they have approached their role with compassion and a sense of responsibility. They see fostering not just as a duty but as an opportunity to show love and kindness to those who need it most.

“Love the children the way you would want to be loved if you were in that situation,” Teesha said. “Love has its times when you need to be direct, and you have to correct but do it from a place of love.”

Jamie Creasy, executive director and program director of Foster Care at HumanKind, said the organization is licensed by the state of Virginia and operates as a nonprofit organization. Its primary focus is to find foster homes across the state for children who have experienced trauma due to abuse or neglect. Referrals come from the Department of Social Services, allowing HumanKind to serve children from various backgrounds and with diverse needs.

When the Wards applied to be foster parents in 2012, the HumanKind foster care was a staff of one: Creasy.

“[Irvin] is the heartbeat of our program because he has been with me pretty much since the beginning, and he never turned down a child,” she said. “And what’s so wonderful about him is that when a child leaves, whether they turn 18 and choose to leave or they’re returned back home because the court sees fit, he stays in touch with all of them. He continues to employ some of them because he owns a construction company. Even one of the kids ended up turning 18 and leaving, and he ended up in jail. And Mr. Ward, bless his heart, was sending him money every week for his little account.”

The thorough process involved in becoming a foster parent includes paperwork, home studies and training sessions. Throughout this process, HumanKind provides continuous support to prospective foster families ensuring they are equipped with the necessary skills and resources, Creasy said.

“We help them and support them through it. We don’t leave them by themselves,” she said. “We are front and center from the start to the finish until we hand you over and you’re ready to go to accept your first child.”

Creasy said there is a growing need for more foster families, as the demand continues to increase. She said there are misconceptions about the financial burden of fostering and said there is a stipend provided by the state to cover a child’s needs.

“We have a lot of families, but unfortunately the needs are still increasing, and our referrals are more, not less. Our homes stay full. We don’t have any empty homes in any of our locations except one or two,” she said.

In 2023, after years of dedicated service to foster care and with a full house of eight children living under their roof ranging from 3 to 17, the Wards semi-retired from fostering with HumanKind. Their retirement was celebrated by the organization in October.

“We don’t have any more bedrooms,” Irvin said with a laugh.