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Article: FARMHOUSE SHELTERED MANY Foster mother had room in her heart for 18 more; Compassion comes first Here is some of what Irmgard Clasen has learned in raising 18 foster children and three of her own: "Oftentimes, the child is that way because the parents are that way." "You've got to have feelings for other people. After all, the child didn't choose to come here." "If they come from a dysfunctional family, they can come with lots of problems." "A happy home life is the biggest help you can give foster kids, because that's the kind of life they don't know." "Sometimes you have to learn to talk teenage lingo a little bit."; For more information An increase in the number of children needing foster care and fewer families licensed to care for them has created a need for more foster homes. In Milwaukee County, 90% of the foster care is licensed through the county's human services department. Those interested in information about becoming a foster parent can call the department at 264-5437. Other agencies in the county that license foster families: Children's Service Society of Wisconsin, 453-1400; Lutheran Social Services, 281-4400; La Causa Foster Care, 647-5984; Harambee Ombudsman Project, 264-7822; Institute for Child and Family Development, 449-2274; Career Youth Development, 264-6888. In other parts of the state, county departments of human services may be contacted.
- Article from:
- The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, WI)
- Article date:
- October 20, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1996 The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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"Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to
take you in."
Robert Frost had never met Irmgard Clasen, or her late husband,
Reinhard, when he wrote that line as part of "The Death of the Hired
Man."
But the foster children who have lived in the old farmhouse on
Highland Road needed a home and the Clasens felt a duty to take them
in. All 18 of them.
Irmgard, now 76, doesn't feel poetic or seem especially noble as
she sits at her kitchen table covered with oil cloth. A few feet
away is the portable toilet for Tim, her first foster child. Now 34,
Tim is trying to overcome the effects of seizures and hospitalization
that left 92 pounds strung over 6 feet.
She always put in a ...
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