Gift sponsors needed: Dance instructor and foster mom wants to create a merry Christmas for kids

By Jory John

APTOS -- Cheri Rutherford is on a Christmas mission. She's concerned that many foster children in Santa Cruz County will wake up Dec. 25 without any gifts. And, with less than three months to go, Rutherford's doing what she can to make sure that doesn't happen.

Rutherford, a dance instructor who has been a foster parent to more than 30 children in two decades, is partnering with Above the Line, a nonprofit organization in Aptos dedicated to providing housing, education, placement and other services to at-risk youth.

Rutherford said that she came up with a gift sponsorship idea in November 2008, but by then it was too late to get the donors in place. That's why she's starting earlier this year. Rutherford said that she wants the community -- both individuals and businesses -- to step forward and sponsor foster children or entire foster families for the holidays, which is typically a difficult time for those dealing with loss.

Starting new traditions

"It seems to be really hard for the foster children, because they're not with their own families and a lot of them have never celebrated the holidays," Rutherford said.

Rutherford said that most of the foster children she's taken in, many of whom have been neglected or abused, have no idea what's supposed to happen at the holidays.

Rutherford took in her first foster children at age 21, she said. When Child Protective Services deemed her neighbors unfit parents, Rutherford was approached about providing care until the children were allowed to go home. Rutherford said that every effort is made to keep foster children in their own neighborhood, at their own school, with their own friends.

"I wanted to help," she said. "I was gung-ho for it." The children stayed for three years, living alongside Rutherford's biological daughter, she said. It was unexpected, but that decision determined Rutherford's lifelong path.

Suzanne Stone, executive director for Above the Line, has known Rutherford for years. Stone has been with the agency since 1990, except for a five-year hiatus where she adopted her own daughter from Ghana.

"Cherie is a full-time foster mother," she said. "That's her life. She devotes herself to the children in her care. She takes them dancing. She tries to find out what their passion is, and she does everything she can to really help them feel unique and special. She's just a ball of energy."

Stone said that, like Rutherford, most of the foster parents that she's worked with, over the years, find that they love it.

"I would say that they just have a place in their hearts where they want to make a difference," she said. "Foster parents become key people in the lives of these children, people who are consistent and reliable."

There are a few different reasons why children are placed in foster care, Stone said. Some are there because they've been removed from the home, and their biological parents can go through a process to have them returned, she said. For other children, she said, the reunion just isn't possible.

"The parents might be homeless, they might be in jail, or they might be deceased," she said.

Becoming a foster parent

Stone said that she's always looking for more foster parents, like Rutherford, who have the skills and passion for it. Foster parents also need to be willing to go through trainings, take classes and provide background checks. Stone said that Above the Line takes time with each foster placement, making sure it's a good match.

"A child always blames themselves if it doesn't work out," she said.

Stone said that this is why parents like Rutherford are vital to her organization, going beyond the call of duty. She was thrilled when Rutherford approached her with her gift-sponsorship idea. Rutherford and Stone, along with the Above the Line board, are also planning a holiday party for the foster families.

"And from years of working in this field, kids are so surprised that people that don't know them want to give them gifts," Stone said.

Rutherford is compiling a wish list that each foster child can fill out. They will be able to specify their clothes or shoe size, their favorite colors and three things they want for Christmas.

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