It takes a special person to become a foster parent, said RaeAnn Moore, who has been a Cullman County foster parent for about 18 years and is the president of the Cullman County Foster and Adopted Parents Association.

“It’s not for everybody, but it’s a wonderful thing to do,” she said. “If you love kids, it’s wonderful.”

The Cullman County Department of Human Resources hosted its annual Foster and Adopted Parents Association Christmas Party Thursday night at the Cullman Civic Center, where children had the opportunity to meet Santa and receive gifts donated by local organizations and individuals. To help raise money for the event, raffle tickets were sold for a chance to win a quilt made by the Heartland Quilters.

“It’s just a fellowship of the foster parents and lets the kids have a party,” Moore said. “Santa comes and sees them and brings them a gift; it’s just something for the children.”

Almost 200 children live in 40-45 foster homes in Cullman County. Choosing which homes children are placed in depends on specific needs, and when possible, siblings are placed together. When circumstances prevent siblings from being placed in a home together, regular visitation and contact is encouraged, according to DHR.

Perhaps the most difficult aspect of becoming a foster parent is “letting them go,” Moore said.

“You can take them in your home and love on them as yours, but you know when you take them it’s just temporary,” she said. “You’re just there when they need you, but it’s really hard. Even after 18 years, it’s still hard letting them go.”

Moore said she’s only had one foster child she found difficult to care for, about 13 years ago. The girl had been sexually abused and needed additional care, Moore said.

“She just needed more help than I could provide,” she said. “It broke my heart to have to let her go, but we had to.”

Marie Sherrell said she and her late husband decided years ago they wanted to take in a foster child. Though they wanted a baby, their first foster child was a 14-year-old, she said. Sherrell kept taking in children, and now has 11.

She said routine tasks like getting ready for school have become easier with time, with the exception of an occasional snag.

“They call us the Brady Bunch,” she said. “Some mornings, when it doesn’t go correctly, it’s chaos, but most of the time it’s pretty smooth once you get into a routine.”

Sherri Hudson, a mother of 10, said she didn’t expect to have as good of a relationship with her children’s biological families as she does.

“I wasn’t expecting the empathy that you can establish with the families when you work with them, trying to get the kids and the families back together,” she said.

She said a desperate need exists for foster families.

“Just try it,” she said. “And have a sense of humor.”

Moore said she appreciates people in the community who donated to the Association. Information on becoming a foster parent can be obtained by contacting 737-5300.