Residents of Pueblo, Colorado, Cora and Stan Krol found themselves twiddling their thumbs after their children had grown up and turned them into empty-nesters in 1989.
“I told my husband, ‘It’s too quiet,’ and I said, ‘I wonder about foster care,’” Cora recalled to The Pueblo Chieftain.
Almost immediately after this revelation, Cora saw an ad in her newspaper asking for help at a local group home with adolescents.
Over 34 years later, the Krols have helped raise more than 130 foster children in their home, many of them young men. And of those young men, many have been in trouble with the law, come from homes of abuse and neglect, and struggle in school.
“You take these kids in because you know they’re hurting inside,” Stan told The Colorado Springs Gazette, “and you kind of try to get past that and give them the love they need. It’s hard.”
It’s also certainly possible — even with up to 11 children in their home at any given time.
“Every time you're ready to start pulling back, there's this little boy that needs you, and how do you say no?” Cora told The Pueblo Chieftain.
“Pueblo County right now is down foster homes, it’s unbelievable. I just wish people would see what it does for you and what it does for the children.”
The positive impact the pair has had on so many also inspired their biological daughter, Tammy Walton, to become a foster parent herself.
Now old enough, too, Tammy’s daughter, Sloan, also chips in to help. It’s a family affair, and they all continue to love and care for children in need when they need it most.
Stan told The Gazette that the pair often receive calls from their former fosters.
“Calls that say, ‘I want to thank you for what you taught me, and the principles and stuff like that stayed with me,’” Stan shared. “[They tell me], I was in a lot of pain when I was there, but now I’ve got a good job and a wife and kids, and I want to thank you.’”
The Colorado Department of Human Services has recognized the Krols for their work, honoring them for “doing something extraordinary,” as “ordinary Coloradans,” even and especially into their golden years.
“The reason we feel so good is because of what we do,” Cora told The Gazette.
“You have to have a purpose,” Stan added.
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A version of this article was originally published in The 2025 Relationships Edition of the Goodnewspaper.
Header image courtesy of Colorado Department of Human Services
