Medina couple embraces being foster parents

MEDINA — When Kim Buell saw an ad in a local paper for foster training classes a few years ago, she and her husband, Shelby, discussed the idea and thought it made sense for their family. The Medina couple have three grown children: Tyler, 25, Austin, 23, and Brendyn, 21. The couple recognized they have been blessed with financial stability and good health and wanted to give back to others. Both Kim and Shelby have volunteered in various capacities in the past, but saw fostering as a way they could do some good in the community together. "Reading about kids who go to bed without someone to give them a hug and tell them they're loved made us want to do this," Kim Buell said. "Plus we love kids," added her husband. The couple loves to spend time with their children and all three boys are very involved in the lives of the kids placed in the Buells' home. The experience has taught them so much about what they were willing to do for others. "When we first started talking about foster care, I wasn't sure I could handle the pain," Kim Buell said. "Shelby asked me, 'If you could take away a child's pain even just for a day, wouldn't you rather feel that pain yourself so they didn't have to?" The mother of three said someone who is considering becoming a foster parent should know there will be challenges and rewards. "The challenges are nowhere near the reward," she said. "As exhausting as it is, the reward is tenfold." "You're never alone in this," her husband added. "We've made so many great friendships with other families through fostering." There are more than 100 foster children in the county living with about 40 families and the Buells are just one couple embracing fostering, seeing the importance every time a child walks into the door. "Because no child should ever be without food, shelter or love," Kim Buell said. "If we're not here for them, who will be?" Shelby Buell said. To learn more about foster care in Medina County, visit the county's website or contact Layne Hedden at (330) 635-9165.