22 Feb 2014 The Dendys: Answering the CALL is 'worth it'
by Levi Gilbert
The CALL of Faulkner/Conway County will host the inaugural “Best Ball for the CALL” Monday, March 24, at Conway Country Club.
For Chris and Crystal Dendy, the CALL is more than just an organization — it’s life.
“Early in 2013 I became involved with the CALL advisory committee, and soon became county coordinator,” Chris said. “With the birth of our youngest foster child, Crystal was able to become a stay at home mom, which allowed her to be the hands and feet of the CALL in Faulkner and Conway County.
“We work with our team of volunteers to organize monthly informational meetings, help families navigate a very difficult system to become foster or adoptive parents, we help conduct quarterly trainings, raise funds for the CALL and most of all make sure that children have a safe, loving place to call home.”
The journey to become coordinators for the CALL in Faulkner and Conway counties began all the way back when Chris and Crystal were freshman at the University of Central Arkansas.
“We got married at 19 and worked our way through college,” Chris said. “From running a small business, to working at Social Security, we have always worked together. One of those jobs we worked during college was at Pediatrics Plus. We were part-time teachers in the classrooms.
“While working there we started hearing stories about a wild little boy that no one could handle. What we didn’t know yet — he would soon be our son. Right off the bat there was something different about Ethan, he reacted differently to us, and we had an inextinguishable love for him.”
As the Dendys got to know Ethan better, they learned he was in foster care and would soon be up for adoption. The couple “frantically” began searching for “anything and everything that could get our family approved to be a foster family.”
“That’s when we heard of this new organization that was just getting ready to launch in Faulkner County — the CALL. Children of Arkansas Loved for a Lifetime. We attended the 30-hour foster parent training, provided by the CALL, in two weekends. We had our home study, an in-depth interview to see if we would make good foster parents. Through all the ups and downs, frustrations and jubilation — our family was approved.
“All the while of going through the certification process, we had built a deep bond with Ethan. We had started babysitting Ethan when his foster mom needed a break. When Ethan was having a bad day at school — even if we weren’t scheduled to work — they would call us in because we were the only ones who could calm him down.”
In November 2009, the Dendys’ home was approved as the first CALL-recruited foster home in Faulkner County, and Ethan moved in.
“It immediately felt like family,” Chris said. “Sure, things were tough, there was a lot of lost time to make up for, but it felt like we had him our entire life. In June of 2010 we finalized our adoption, and Ethan was then legally ours, even though God had established it all along.”
But what had started for the Dendys as a quest to adopt Ethan quickly turned into something greater.
“We quickly realized God had far more in stock for us. We took a few months off from fostering to let things settle, but quickly jumped right back into providing a home for children in desperate need of a place to call home. Since 2009 we have had 10 children, from 2 days old to 17 years old. We’ve had children from as short as two weeks to as long as 26 months.”
The Dendys plan to adopt two more children this spring, if all goes according to plan.
“Providing a home for children in need is our heart and our passion, but we knew that our efforts weren’t enough,” Chris said. “There simply aren’t enough families that have opened their home to foster care and adoption. At any given time between our two counties, there are around 150 children in foster care. In May of 2012, there were only 15 families open to fostering. By May of 2013, there were 30. We now have 40.
“The CALL in Faulkner and Conway Counties is an entirely volunteer organization. We all do this for free; we do this on top of supporting a family with another job and actively fostering. We have a large pool of volunteers that we depend upon on a daily basis. Without the massive team of wonderful people working with us, none of this would get accomplished.
“We always tell people, ‘Our life isn’t easy — but oh man, it is worth it!’”
The inaugural “Best Ball for the CALL” golf tournament is one way the Dendys hope 501 citizens will participate in supporting the CALL.
The tournament will be a 4-man scramble format with lunch provided by First Security Bank after the first round. Team spots and hole sponsorships are available, and the tournament will benefit children in the foster care system in Conway and Faulkner counties. For more information, contact Craig Conner at 501.733.1275.
