Meet the Eckard Family!
We are truly blessed!
When their three children reached the teen years, Kari and Scott Eckard decided to act upon their passion for abused and neglected children by becoming foster parents.
The couple did not initially consider adoption, but a chance encounter with a distant relative who is a foster care caseworker changed their minds: “When we were informed of the desperate need these kids have for forever families, we knew adoption was the path we should take.” Even before meeting their first foster child, the couple had decided to adopt any child brought to them who needed a permanent home.
When real children replaced theoretical ones, their decision was reaffirmed: “We fell in love with them and they became a part of our family immediately.” Five youngsters now fill the Eckards’ home and hearts: Andrew, age 11; siblings Richie and Peyton, ages 5 and 4; and sisters Kyia and Libby, ages 2 and 8 months.
Andrew came to the Eckards as a toddler and was 4 years old when the family adopted him. An outgoing “people-person,” Andrew enjoys telling others his adoption story. He has a passion for all things Star Wars.
Richie was just a year old and his baby sister Peyton was a newborn when they were placed with the Eckards. Their adoptions occurred at ages 3 and 2. Now an active Kindergartener, Richie loves to build with Legos and to play soccer. Peyton loves dressing up and helping out around the house.
The youngest two children, sisters Kyia and Libby, arrived when Kyia was 1 and Libby was just 1 month old. Their adoptions were completed within a year. Quiet, calm Kyia loves to look at books and to be read to. “Feisty” Libby is busy exploring her surroundings.
The original three Eckard children are now all grown and out of the house. Newlywed Haylee, age 25, lives in Bowling Green, Ohio. Max, age 23 and also newlywed, is a senior in college in Missouri. Aeryton, age 21, is a sophomore in college in Kentucky.
Kari identifies “learning how to manage such a large family and to meet everyone's needs” as the greatest challenge she and Scott have faced. They naively acquiesced to pressure to take permanent custody of Andrew before adopting him, not understanding that this would eliminate his Medicaid eligibility. Thus, they have paid out-of-pocket for costly medical and mental health services. They are grateful for the Medicaid and WIC coverage they receive for their other children. Their youngest two girls were born prematurely and drug-dependent, necessitating special services. The most frightening challenge was when Libby was diagnosed with HIV at age 6 months. “After much prayer and faith, she was completely healed within 2 weeks, baffling the doctors.”
If the Eckards could offer one suggestion to policymakers, it would be to please extend Medicaid coverage to age 21 for children adopted from foster care.
Faith and community are the underpinnings of the Eckard family. “Without the grace of God and the support of our friends and family, we could not do this. We are truly blessed.”
Summarizing their adoption experiences, Kari writes, “We have been given the absolute privilege to give these children a new life’ a safe, loving, and stable place to grow up and become whoever God has designed them to be.”
