Barnaby Family Fostered More than 100 Youth Over the Years

Sandra Barnaby's heart fills with joy every Christmas as she eagerly anticipates spending time with her extensive family.

With two biological daughters, a son-in-law, six biological grandchildren, nearly 13 foster grandchildren and approximately 18 foster great-grandchildren, her life is overflowing with love and laughter.

“We may not all get together at the same time, but I buy for all of them and it’s exciting,” she giggled.

The substantial size of Sandra's family today can be attributed to a selfless decision to foster that she and her late husband Steve made in 1981.

“My husband was a minister,” began Sandra. “He had a family in his church that was going to be fostering through Adelphoi and they told us about it. We decided to look into it.

“Adelphoi came to our house and told us everything about the process. I can still remember our caseworker’s name — It was Betsy,” she recalled.

Over the decades, she estimates that she has welcomed no less than 125 foster children into her Greensburg home.

“Some have come, some have gone and some are still in the family,” she stated. “We have so many kids and there are a couple more on the way yet. They’re all great.”

“There are a lot of people who call me Aunt Shawne,” laughed Sandra’s daughter, Shawne Barnaby, who was 14 when her parents began their fostering journey. The Barnaby’s younger daughter, Starr Truckenmiller, was 12.

"They were excited,” said Sandra. “It was a change and it was something different. They took to it right away.”

“From the [biological] child’s perspective, it has been the richest reward,” Shawne added. “We never felt neglected or anything because we had foster kids in the house. There have been hard times and you wonder why you’re doing this, but we have such a large circle of support and our family has grown so much. This all started because they decided to foster.”

The girls later expanded their own involvement with Adelphoi by becoming foster parents themselves. Sandra’s son-in-law, Timothy Truckenmiller, currently works as a supervisor for in-home services at Adelphoi in Uniontown.

Sandra reflected upon the challenges they faced when they first became a foster family: "We had to be flexible and adjust to the changes," she explained. "Managing the schedules of so many children can difficult, so it's important to be adaptable in every situation.”

She emphasized the importance of tailoring to each child's individual needs, saying, "Each child is unique, and you have to take that into account. One child might have specific challenges that another doesn't. If a child is taking medication, you have to ensure that their medications are organized and kept securely.

“Your top priority is to ensure their safety and also to make sure they attend all their scheduled visits."

At first, Sandra and Steve only accepted female foster children as a precautionary measure for their daughters' safety. However, they eventually expanded to include male and pregnant teenage foster children.

“Their mothers couldn’t take care of them,” she stated. “Many of them had issues themselves that they couldn’t deal with and needed some help.”

As life comes full circle, she added that some of the women who were once pregnant teens are now caring for their own mothers.

"They are giving back to their families what they once received," Sandra said. “They are a blessing to their families. It’s not always about taking a child from their families, it’s about helping them to maybe reunite.”

Sandra, who hails from Niles, Michigan, fondly recalled the happy experiences as a foster parent, such as going to church camps, celebrating holidays, and taking road trips.

“We would take the trip to Michigan for my family reunion and we would load up all the kids. I don’t know how we even did it, how we got all those kids in one car,” she exclaimed.

Presently, Sandra is a caregiver to four young men who affectionately refer to her as "mom": Austin, who has been under her care since the age of 15, is now 23, employed, and is preparing to move out on his own in the near future. Zachary, who has lived with Sandra since he was 14, is 19 and preparing to embark on his college journey. As for Craig and Brady, both 16, they are currently foster children under her roof.

She advised potential foster parents to make use of all the training opportunities provided by Adelphoi should they decide to open their homes to a child in need. Additionally, she encouraged them to join support groups, take the children to events where they can interact with other foster children, and also to seek guidance from Adelphoi's staff whenever needed.

“It’s very rewarding as a foster parent to see a child flourish, grow, experience new things and feel safe in their environment,” said Sandra.