Legacy of Love: Foster Mom of Four Decades Announces Retirement

Quick Smiles:

• Emma Patterson has been a pillar of compassion and love for over 40 foster children since the 1980s.
• Patterson’s commitment as a foster mother in Montgomery County, Maryland, serves as solid proof of her unwavering belief in providing love and support to those in need.
• At 88 years old, cherished foster mom Emma Patterson is announcing her retirement, leaving behind a legacy of changed lives and the genuine power of a caring heart.

While meandering through a senior housing residence in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, we encounter Emma Patterson. She flips open her cellphone, unveiling a montage of affectionate memories – pictures of the numerous children she has fostered over the years.

The cheerful faces of over 40 children have been documented throughout the years, each a tribute to the love and care that Patterson has showered on them. She has welcomed foster children into her Montgomery County, Maryland, home since the 1980s – a remarkable achievement given the pressing need for foster homes in the United States.

“All of us should be aware that there were more than 400,000 young people in the foster care system waiting for placement in a permanent home as of 2020,” reports the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families.

Patterson stands out from the crowd. She is a superhero in the foster care system in Montgomery County, having provided the most enduring homes for children and being a foster parent for the longest period. This distinction has been confirmed by a Montgomery County representative, underlining Patterson’s significant contribution. Now, at 88 years, Patterson is stepping away from this role she has cherished for decades.

“I never thought anyone would notice what I was doing. I didn’t do it for any recognition,” admitted Patterson, “It was always about a boy or a girl who needed someone to care for them. They needed a roof over their heads or something to eat.”

Emma started helping children when her two biological children started inviting home friends who needed assistance. Whether they were in need of winter coats, food, or a place to lay their heads, her children knew they could count on their mom.

“Every time I turned around, my kids were bringing a friend home,” recalled Patterson. “But I understood that these were kids who needed help. I started doing what I could for them. I suppose you could call that foster care because some of them never really left.”

During this period, Patterson had just separated from her ex-husband and was juggling two jobs. Still, she made sure to provide for all the children in her care. Her commitment eventually led her house in White Oak, Maryland, to become an official foster home for Montgomery County.

As the years passed, Patterson began caring for even younger children, sheltering newborns from hospitals and nurseries who required a loving home. She even legally adopted two of them.

In recognition of her selfless service to the county’s youth, Patterson received an award from Montgomery County in May this year.

“I’m pleased to honor Ms. Patterson for her dedication to our community over all these years. She’s receiving the recognition she has long deserved,” said Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich while presenting the award.

Patterson’s compassion and commitment to children have their roots; she credits her own mother and grandmothers for instilling her maternal instincts.

“I’m very proud of all the children. They’ve all just turned out to be wonderful human beings. That little something I was able to give or do for them – if it was in any way helpful for them to achieve great things in life – delights me. They’ve turned out to be fantastic people,” she said.

Source