DABSJ wants the best for every child we serve, which is an outlook epitomized by one of our foster and adoptive families, the Callihans. Doug and Becky Callihan have been fostering with DABSJ since 2010. They have four biological children, and over the past nine years have adopted six of their foster children.
Doug and Becky are incredibly family-focused; they even went the extra mile to ensure Darlene, the biological grandmother of two of their adopted children, could continue to be part of their lives. Today, she is considered an official grandma to the entire Callihan family, proving that family can be built in many different ways.
In May 2019, Doug and Becky Callihan were recognized and awarded the 2019 Foster, Adoptive, Kinship Family of Excellence Award by the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services for their outstanding work. “If I could give any advice to new foster parents, that would be to treat the kids as your own. With rules, with treats, with family parties, they are part of your family. They didn’t ask to be in the situations they are in. They just want to be kids. Love them as they are,” said Becky.