On Centre: Bald Eagle Area

Howard parents open hearts, home

Chris Rosenblum

Patti and Tom Long’s son and daughter had grown up, and the house in Howard had grown quiet.

Photo provided

Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Howard Township, left, presents an “Angel in Adoption”citation to Patti and Tom Long and their son, David, last week in Washington.

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“We both enjoy kids around, and we have always been active with our two children with Scouts, band and drama, and all those things parents get involved with,” Patti Long said. “All of a sudden, it was gone.”

But only for a while: The Longs decided they

weren’t through with parenthood. A year after their youngest graduated from Bald Eagle Area High School, they took in a 10-year-old boy who had bounced from one foster home to another. Four years later, they adopted him.

Today, David Long is 18, an award-winning Eagle Scout aspiring to become a Navy diver. For helping him flourish, his parents received a 2009 “Angels in Adoption” citation, among the more than 190 bestowed last week by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute.

“Words can’t explain what I owe them,” David said.

U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Howard Township, who nominated the couple, presented the award last week in Washington. The institute is an advocacy group for adoption, its signature campaign the “Angels” program.

“The Longs opened their arms and their home and family to the young man,” Thompson said in a news release.

David Long needed a home after the turmoil of living in several houses — in the first five weeks of fifth grade alone he lived in three homes and an equal number of school districts. Patti Long said it wasn’t his fault. When his biological mother’s life improved, he returned to her. By the time he was returned to foster care, his previous guardians had taken in someone else.

“He didn’t have it easy in school,” Patti Long said.

The last move came after an older couple, who bonded with David, retired from the foster program. He arrived at the Longs in October 2001, scared and unsure.

“It was always on my mind: How long am I going to stay here?” he said.

Months turned into years. The Longs, now in their mid-50s, talked David into band and scouts. He introduced them to Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh cards. No longer did he ask in his prayers what was in store for him.

“I realized that this is the plan for me,” he said.

The last eight years have worked out for the two empty-nesters as well.

“We’ve had some tough times and some good times,” Patti Long said. “We feel good about what we’ve done. You feel like you really made a difference in someone’s life.” In other news:

A fundraising campaign continues for Joey Read, the disabled Union Township teenager whose family needs a reliable van to transport him. Now, an account for donations is in place: Joey Read Fund, c/o PNC Bank, 801 E. Bishop St., Bellefonte, PA 16823.

Chris Rosenblum writes a weekly column about happenings in the Bald Eagle area. Send him news at crosenbl@centredaily.com or call 231-4620.