By Sara Stevens- South Valley Journal
Mike Millgate was not looking for any type of recognition when he and his wife, Shelly, decided to help children in foster care situations. So, in June he was very surprised to learn that he had been chosen as Foster/Adoptive Dad of the Year for the South Valley region by the Utah Foster Care Foundation.
Millgate was nominated by Shelly and several other family members who had been impressed by his capacity to selflessly take care of a child he might not have with him in the long run.
“He has all of the qualities that represent a good father,” Shelly Millgate said. “I nominated Mike because I’ve been able to see firsthand what his love and support have done for the kids. Once we made the decision to help [children], we made it all about them.”
“When taking nominations, one of the things we ask is, ‘how do they spend time with children?'” Utah Foster Care Foundation Community Relations Manager Deborah Linder said. “With foster care it is very important that it be a team effort, the children often need a strong male role model.”
The couple chose to become involved in the foster care system after a six-year long struggle with infertility.
“We were dealing with the issues, trying to decide what to do as far as infertility injections or private adoption,” Mike Millgate said. “One day I came home and said, ‘I want to help kids, there are kids out there that need to be helped.'”
The Millgates have had two children placed with them, the first child for two and a half months before being reunited with his mother. The second child, Ian, 18 months old, was three weeks old when first placed with the Millgates and they have since been able to legally adopt him.
“The adoption was finalized on May 25,” Mike Millgate said. “The court system decided on that date, which was also our 10th wedding anniversary. We started our family on that date and added to our family on that date. It was also nine months from the day we decided to join the foster care system that our son was born. We knew we needed to be parents and we are really happy to open our home to share with children, share with them love they need for the time they need to help stabilize their lives.”
One of those who nominated Mike Millgate for this award, Ian’s biological mother, said in a letter to Utah Foster Care Foundation: “I never thought a human being could love a child as much as he loves the son that I have given up to him. He is a sincere and loving man. One of the most amazing people I have ever met in my entire life.”
Mike Millgate has been training for a Park City 26.2 mile marathon on Aug. 21 to raise awareness of the foster care system. The Millgates are also discussing the possibility of inviting more children into their home in the future.
The Utah Foster Care Foundation is a private, non-profit organization contracted by the Division of Child and Family services. It takes 32 hours of training and the ability to pass a criminal background check to become a foster parent in Utah.
Caption: Mike Millgate has opened his home and his heart to children in need of stability. Pictured from left are Kelly Peterson, Utah Foster Care Foundation CEO, Millgate and Brent Platt, Utah Division of Child and Family Services director.
