Jennie Sheperd brings a wealth of experience to her job as foster-adoptive consultant for Utah Foster Care. Jennie and her husband are licensed foster parents and have adopted four children. She helps prospective families decide if foster parenting is a good fit for them and helps guide them through the initial process.

Jennie knows the journey is not without its challenges.

“There were times when I cried myself to sleep over the ache that I felt for the trials that these children faced. There were times when a teenager went through a rough patch and we had to work hard to keep the family on an even keel,” says Jennie.

“Through it all, we had supports. We had Cluster meetings (foster parent support groups), where we could talk to other parents who understood exactly what we were dealing with. We had therapists who helped us to have an understanding of the behaviors we were seeing. We had our online support where we could get immediate answers or just a “you’ve got this” from fellow foster parents. And we did have it!”

“Our kids are not little anymore and the ones who were permanently added to our family are a blessing to my everyday life. I still have contact with every teenage boy that came through my home. None of them are teenagers anymore. Some of them stop by on a regular basis, some of them we keep up on through social media. I feel like it was a privilege to be a part of their story and my life has been enriched because of them.”