Meet the Apfel Family!
Amy and Paul Apfel have been licensed foster parents with Wolverine since 2019. Their foster parent journey started with the desire to provide relative care for a child in their family. The Apfel family saw a need within their family and was more than happy to step up to provide care for their family member. After a few short months, the Apfel family was able to see reunification take place within their family.
As the Apfel’s supported reunification of child and parent within their own family, they wanted to continue to make a difference in their community by fostering general placements for children in foster care. An amazing and selfless act made by the Apfel’s family allowed a seamless transition from being relative care providers to traditional foster care providers who were experienced and willing to give back to their community. This feat can be credited to the clear, consistent and timely communication which Wolverine’s foster care department raved about when speaking of the Apfel family.
Two months after Amy and Paul finished providing relative care, their next placement of a young female arrived. The Apfel family consisted of five adult children; two which are still living in the home. Amy recalls making sure that each family member living in the Apfel home was present to greet their new guest, so no new surprises were given to the young child. This is a practice which Amy and Paul hope to continue with future foster youth. Mr. and Mrs. Apfel not only were able to provide a safe home for their foster children but have provided many fun experiences including trips up north, and fun times at the beach.
As the fun times continued in the Apfel home, reunification of their foster child was achieved. When looking back at the reunification process, Amy describes the reunification as “bittersweet” and that it was great to see the child be reunified with her siblings. Even though reunification can be difficult at times, it is important to put ourselves in the shoes of the foster child, and biological family. While it can be hard to see a child leave a foster home, we know that when we are supporting reunification, we are putting the long term needs of the child and biological family first before ourselves.
For those who are thinking about starting the foster parent process but are not sure if fostering is right for them, the Apfel family would like to encourage you to “just go for it” and give foster parenting a try.
To learn more about foster parenting, and the opportunities available with Wolverine Human Services, please complete the care provider form below.