By Robin Shepherd

When Dr. Christine Litwin-Sanguinetti took in her first foster child more than 10 years ago, she learned that the rewards of foster care far outweigh the challenges, and her experiences made her a determined advocate for foster children.

In the state of California alone, more than 100,000 children are wards of the court system. Many have been abandoned or legally removed from their homes after being abused or neglected. Without a foster home, these children are placed in crowded and understaffed county shelters, often outside their neighborhoods.

Dr. Sanguinetti is a Los Altos Hills resident with an established OB-GYN practice in Mountain View. In 1992, she connected with Future Families Inc., a San Jose-based non-profit agency offering broad-based adoption and foster care services. Sanguinetti and her family took in three foster children in succession. In 1995, she joined the board of directors of Future Families.

“I realized the agency’s potential to bring about positive change,” Sanguinetti said. “So I wanted to help the organization raise funds and expand its volunteer base.”

Future Families’ “wrap-around” services go beyond basic placement to recruit, screen, train, counsel and support foster families. While state-licensed Future Families relies on government funding, those funds don’t kick in until a placement is made. Private funding will help Future Families maintain and improve preplacement services — particularly screening and training new parents — which contribute to more successful long-term placements for foster children.

The Sanguinettis first took in an 8-year-old girl who remained with them for several years. “She had already been in four or five different homes or shelters. She had some issues with lying and shoplifting,” Sanguinetti said, “and she hoarded food in her room even though our kitchen was well-stocked and always open. It was her way of coping with uncertainty and feeling unwanted.”

Future Families’ STEP program is designed for children with significant emotional problems and parents with high-level parenting skills. The program provides a counselor who visits regularly and is involved in the child’s regular activities, weekly therapy sessions and a “family developer,” who ensures children receive ongoing counseling to learn positive behaviors and tools for coping.

When a 6-year-old boy was temporarily removed by the courts from his home, the Sanguinetti’s took him in so he could finish kindergarten while his birth family worked to resolve their problems and return to stability.

“He arrived at my door with a paper bag, a pair of socks that were too big, shoes that were too small, underpants, a jacket and a teddy bear,” Sanguinetti said. “That was all he had to call his own.”

“We have kept in touch with our foster kids, who are now young adults, to let them know we care about them,” Sanguinetti said. “We were reunited with our first foster child after she sent us her high school graduation announcement, and she told us it helped to feel that we had stayed connected all those years. We’re gratified to see how far these kids have come despite the obstacles.”

Paula Gann, executive director at Future Families said “It’s amazingly sad how many children are waiting. We need adoptive homes, but there are other ways people can help. They can assist with fundraising, donate funds or professional services such as website development, or volunteer. Every contribution makes a difference in these kids’ lives.”