White House to Honor Family That Opens Its Doors to Foster Children

As little girls, sisters Liz and Jennifer Griffith had their own bedrooms, places to experience their own space as they approached the teen-age years when privacy is paramount.

But six years ago, Bill and Carolyn Griffith changed their family’s life by responding to a severe need for families to house abused and neglected children. Since then, the Irvine family has cared for 21 foster children. They adopted one of them, Christopher, now 6.

For Liz and Jennifer, the experience has been maturing. Because of the family’s desire to care for other children, the two daughters have had to share a bedroom--and their parents’ affection.

Liz, now 18, recently was graduated with honors from University High School and is headed for Texas Christian University to prepare for medical school. Jennifer, 16, will do volunteer work at the Tustin Marine Corps Air Station where her father is a master sergeant, help her parents care for more foster children and complete the final two years of high school.

Because of their work with foster children, the Griffiths travel to Washington this weekend, and on Monday will be one of six families from throughout the nation to be honored with the Great American Family Service Award. First Lady Nancy Reagan, this year’s honorary chairwoman of the nonprofit organization that honors families for community work, will welcome them at a White House reception. The Griffiths, last year named the Marine Family of the Year by the Saddleback Chamber of Commerce, are being honored as the award-winning military family.

Master Sgt. Bill Griffith, 40, who retires from the Marine Corps in a few weeks, said caring for foster children has made the family closer and given his daughters the chance to help others.

‘Benefits Are Unbelievable’

“The benefits I’ve seen are really unbelievable,” he said. “Liz and Jennifer have been influenced greatly, and (their experience) is the reason they’ve decided to work with the handicapped. And it’s been an opportunity to extend our family and give us a chance to help the kids who have not had a good family at the time.”

Jennifer added that helping the children has been its own reward.

“It’s been a neat experience. You give them everything and you keep giving and giving to them until they leave. It’s nice to know that you’ve played an important role in their lives, even if they don’t remember it later on,” she said.

“And it hasn’t been hard to share our parents, because these kids have no one else when they come here.”

Carolyn, 38, who was busy last week helping move the family to a new home in Irvine, said she always had wanted to care for foster children, but the uncertainties of military life made them hesitate. Then, six years ago she saw a message on television stressing the need for foster parents in Orange County.

“We just saw this great need for foster kids, and we had to get involved,” she said.

When Bill and Carolyn Griffith, who both grew up in Santa Ana, finally decided to become licensed foster parents, he had been stationed at the Tustin Marine base for six years. They consider themselves lucky he was never transferred.

The Griffiths also are buoyed by their record of success with all of the children they have taken into their home; they said nearly all of the 21 eventually returned to their families. Two young brothers living with them are due to return to their mother within weeks.

For Carolyn Griffith, the separation from the foster children is always difficult.

“You try for family reunification. That is the goal. But I cry . . . when they leave. I take it the hardest,” she said. “But when the social worker calls, I just say, ‘Sure, bring one more over.’ ”

Although the family was ecstatic about the trip to Washington and the honor, Carolyn Griffith reflected: “I wish we could take all the thousands of foster parents with us to Washington, because Bill and I are not any more deserving than any of the other foster parents who do the same thing we do.”