The Unique Gift
- searcylivingads
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Tricia Kauffman Visitation Room
By Jennifer Webb
Photo by Kim Boyd, Zoe Art
“There’s something I need to tell you,” Chris started.
“Ok,” Tricia responded, not sure what was coming next.
“For our 25th wedding anniversary, I had a visitation room named after you, and the official opening is in ten days.”
“That’s so sweet!” Tricia looked up at her husband, knowing the thought he had put into the unusual gift.
Fostering had been a part of their story for most of their lives. God had put it on her heart to foster when she was only 12 years old. When she and Chris started dating, she told him, “If you don’t want to foster, then we don’t need to date because I know that it’s going to be a part of my life.”
He agreed to her terms, and they dated for two years before getting married. They welcomed their daughter, McKinley, to their family in 2003. At the time, in the early 2000s, not many people in Searcy were fostering. Tricia still felt it heavy on her heart, so in 2004, she went down to the office and got the paperwork to start their journey as foster parents. She filled it completely out, but when she took it to Chris, he told her, “I'm not ready yet.”
Disappointed, she put the paperwork away and prayed about it. After ten months or so, she gave up trying to make it happen and threw the papers in the trash, surrendering to God’s timing. The next week, Chris told her what she had been waiting nearly a year to hear. He was ready.
She went back to the office, got more paperwork, and filled it out. They officially started fostering in 2005, after McKinley turned 2. They brought her a newborn baby boy, straight from the hospital. It was the start of a 10-year period in their lives, during which they fostered 11 baby boys and provided respite care for a few families at church.
It was rewarding and heartbreaking at the same time. Even babies straight from the hospital carry trauma that has to be dealt with. Since the goal of fostering is reunification with the biological family, visitations were a big part of their journey.
Tricia dreaded the visits. Many occurred in the DHS office, which was a sterile and intimidating place with numerous people trying to work. Some occurred at a local fast food restaurant, which had an indoor play area. The kids knew what was happening when they arrived at the DHS office. Many visits started with officials having to rip a frantic, crying child from around Tricia’s neck. It broke her heart. After several repeats, she finally started staying in her car, requiring them to get the kids from there for the required visit. The whole experience was not a comfortable one for anyone involved, but many of the mandates stated it had to be in a public place.
Many years later, when Chris saw in the church bulletin that Children’s Homes, Inc. was needing funding for a foster care visitation room located in Searcy, he knew it would be not only the perfect surprise for Tricia, but a way to pay it forward to other families involved in fostering. He made the arrangements in secret, with the agreement that the room would be named in honor of Tricia.
It took some rearranging of everyone’s schedules, but Tricia and Chris were able to be at the ribbon-cutting. They held the ribbon as it was cut and declared officially open for foster children to be able to visit their biological families. They celebrated with snacks and refreshments as they took in the surroundings of the room.
It was clean and very kid-friendly. The couch gave everyone a place to sit, and along the walls were shelves lined with puzzles, books, and toys. There was a rocking chair where mommas could sit and rock their babies, and the couch was just right for snuggling and reading a book. It was a far cry from the sterile DHS office. It was a public place, but at the same time, it was private where biological families could spend time with their children.
There on the wall by the door was a sign that read “Tricia Kauffman Visitation Room.” As she read it, Tricia felt her husband’s love for her and for their life together over the past 25 years. What a beautiful tribute and way to pay it forward to other families!
Read the full issue below.
