Jeff and Jeanne Scharf, resource (foster) parents for the Talbot County Department of Social Services (TCDSS) were recently selected as Talbot County’s Resource Parents of the Year. The Scharf’s, who became resource parents in 1998 agreed in 2013 to become foster parents to a group of five siblings on the Mid Shore. While the Scharf’s had four biological children of their own and one adopted son, they felt the tug to do more.
Pictured left to right are Dina Daly, director of the Caroline County Department of Social Services; Dirk Bartlett, Talbot County Council; Jeanne and Jeff Scharf, Talbot County Resource Parents of the Year; Senator Addie Eckardt; and April Sharp, director of the Talbot County Department of Social Services.
Jeanne Scharf, who had been in a dysfunctional family as a child, recalls, “God allowed me to go through the trials in my own life when I was a child to prepare me for caring for children in situations like foster care. We got the call about this sibling group of five children and said we would take them all.”
She adds, “When I see children in these situations, I remember what I said as a child, ‘Who will love me?’ I wanted to break that cycle in my own family and raise my children differently.”
The Scharf’s life is anything but normal, organizing the schedules of the five siblings, ages three to 12 years of age, plus their own middle school and high school children, can be chaotic. Just juggling the school schedules, afterschool activities and doctor appointments, has them on their toes. Among the blessings that the Scharf’s have received from church members in their church was the ability to buy an affordable van big enough to transport everyone.
Jeanne adds, “My middle school daughter also helps me a lot. She already is showing the qualities of a teacher and especially works well with helping the children with their homework. My husband Jeff and I work really hard on communication in order to keep things straight. It often means each going in different directions to meet everyone’s schedules.”
Pictured left to right are Laly Murphy, Thrive 25; Shari Blades, TCDSS; Paris Quillet, TCDSS; and foster parents Kathy Jenkins, Sue Zollinhofer, Dan Zollinhofer, Sandra Caldwell, Norwood Caldwell, and Jeanne and Jeff Scharf who were recognized as Talbot County’s Resource Parents of the Year.
The couple, who were high school sweethearts before they married, attribute their faith, supportive church community, and extended family and friends to helping them keep things going. She quips, “God never has given me more than I can handle.”
Paris Quillet, Special Projects Coordinator, comments about the Scharf’s nomination, “They have managed this placement with great efficiency. They have included the children in all the family functions, church activities, and community events. The children are secure, well-loved, and cared for by the entire Scharf family.”
For further information about becoming a resource (foster) parent, contact the Talbot County Department of Social Services at 410-820-7371.
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