Jesse and Maria Tyler have adopted three children — Michael, Amari and Carter — through the Limestone County foster care system.

The Limestone County Foster and Adoptive Parent Association is gearing up for their biggest fundraiser of the year — a community spaghetti dinner at the Revival building at 305 W. Washington St. from 4:30–8:30 p.m. March 23.

LCFAPA board member and foster care advocate Maria Tyler hopes the event will raise awareness about the need for foster parents in this area, while at the same time bringing in some desperately needed funds.

Founded five years ago by a group of concerned foster parents, LCFAPA supports foster children and their adoptive families through projects such as a clothes closet, back-to-school festival and Christmas program. Plans are in the works for a summer activity that will bring foster kids from across Limestone County together. The LCFAPA get-togethers are often the only time separated siblings get to see one another.

“The kids love our programs because we make it all about them,” Tyler said. “They have been uprooted from their families. Some of them have had a lot of trauma, so we use these events to make them feel special and loved.”

The organization is also one step closer to moving a clothes closet that was once housed in a storage building into a room donated to them by the Limestone County Child Advocacy Center. Some of the proceeds from the spaghetti dinner will go towards the purchase and installation of shelves in the new facility. A move that Tyler hopes will bring organization to the piles and piles of clothes that have been donated to the organization.

Constantly looking for ways to support the foster parent community, LCFAPA also helps pay for Department of Human Resource-approved training courses. According to Tyler, all licensed foster parents must complete 16 hours of continuing education training annually, a financial burden she doesn’t think foster families should have to bear.

The 501(c)(3) organization operates solely on donations and grants, so fundraisers like the spaghetti dinner are essential to keeping their many programs going.

“We want the community to get involved with foster parenting and with our organizations, so we are trying to get involved in the community,” Tyler said. “We figured that the best way to do that would be by sharing a meal with them.”

Tickets to the spaghetti dinner can be purchased by contacting Tyler at 256-777-9900 or emailing her at lcfapaalabama@gmail.com. Prices are $4 for children ages 3–10 and $8 for adults 11 and older. Children under 2 eat free but must have a ticket. Diners have the option of eating at the Revival center or taking their meals to-go. So far, LCFAPA have sold 200 tickets. Their goal is 1,000.

DHR foster parenting class

Currently, there are approximately 90 children in the county’s foster care system and only 35 foster parents. A gap that Tyler hopes will shrink as more people become aware of the situation and open their hearts to children who have been displaced from their homes through no fault of their own.

The first step to becoming a foster parent is enrolling in a DHR-sponsored foster parenting class. The department offers the 10-week course twice a year, with a new class starting Monday, Feb. 26. The class will meet 6–9 p.m. Tuesdays at 1007 W. Market St. until May 1.

According to Haquoia Doss, foster parent coordinator at LCDHR, there is always a need for foster parents in this area. Those interested in finding out more about the class should contact Doss at 256-216-6415.

There are several requirements to becoming a licensed foster parent. In addition to completing the 10-week course, individuals must be at least 19 years old, have space for additional children, be able to provide a safe, comfortable atmosphere, pass a medical evaluation and submit to state and federal background checks.

Tyler hopes that others in the community will follow in her footsteps and at least consider becoming a foster parent. Recently, Tyler and her husband, Jesse, adopted their third child out of the foster care system.