Despite working with kids every day and raising his own children, Plant Manager Sal Rivas goes home to foster children. Recently, he and his wife, Norma Rivas, took in an infant, which was a new experience for them.

“My favorite memory so far is the feeling…It’s knowing that I was a small part of their lives is a reward,” Rivas said. “The feeling of parental satisfaction.”  

When the Rivas fostered an infant who was in the intensive care unit earlier this spring, he took time off from work to help his wife with the baby, which he described as difficult and challenging. Originally, they were hesitant to take on a newborn, since most of the children they foster are a bit older and they were unfamiliar with the experience.  But once his wife saw the infant, she knew it was their calling.

The Rivas primarily foster kids with special needs in the age groups of 2 to 8 years old. They learned about fostering from the church they went to. Their decision was inspired partially by the fact that their 2-year-old daughter has autism. 

“They came and gave a presentation to us and told us there are thousands of kids who need a home,” Rivas said. “They asked if any family had a spare room to take in kids. “After that, my wife and I thought about it.”

For Rivas, he has specific advice for future foster parents who plan to foster infants or children as old as 8 years old. 

 “I would say you should have the right equipment and have all the things needed,” he said. “DCFS (Department of Children and Family Services) comes to check on your house and make sure everything is proofed. They check the smoke detectors, alarms, gates, it’s a process. I would say you should have the right equipment and have all the things needed on your house and gates. It’s a process.”

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