April 6, 2008 Copyright 2008 - Houston Community Newspapers Online One Humble family's dream finally comes true By ROYCELYN BASTIAN As Cora Casey watched her 20-year-old home go through heavy remodeling, tears of joy and sincere gratitude poured down her face. The Humble resident was in need of the remodeling so she can better take care of her adopted and foster children, who are multiply handicapped. “The volunteers worked sunup to sundown often leaving slumped over from all of the hard work they had done. To them, I am extremely grateful for what they have done for us,” Casey said. Known as the “Cora Casey Crusade,” Greater Houston Builders Association’s HomeAid Houston and Remodeler’s Council have teamed together to complete this ambitious makeover for Casey and her children. “Through an advocate that has witnessed what Cora goes through to take care of her children, they called us,” Terry Swenson, with HomeAid Houston, said. “We have been able to get people to donate items, materials and $100,000 to remodel her home into a transitional home.” Casey began taking care of her foster children when they were infants. Getting them up and down the stairs to bathe them was no problem at first. Now at the age range of 5-19, it is becoming increasingly difficult to bathe them upstairs. “My biggest wish as they remodeled the house is to have roll-in showers downstairs so I can roll my kids in the wheelchairs into it and give them a bath,” Casey said. She got her wish; she will now have two roll-in showers attached to two bedrooms for the children along with a master suite downstairs for her. Her second wish, a way for her children to still receive their breathing treatment when the power is out, was granted in the form of a $15,000 generator, designed to kick in when the power goes off. “During the big ice storm, we did not have any electricity so I had to call the hospital to get a breathing treatment for one of the kids. They were not accepting any patients, so I had to drive to Cleveland to get it,” she said. “With the generator, we will not have that problem again.” The rest of the construction project consists of updating plumbing, electrical wiring and air conditioning, basic carpentry and yard work, a brand new hot water heater and an organized study for Casey to handle paper work. The construction, which lasted a week, finished April 4. Casey began caring for children with multiple disabilities as a foster parent 15 years ago. She was introduced to the program through a friend. “I had a friend who was a foster mother and she encouraged me to get involved, but at that time I said no,” Casey said. “When I was driving to Dallas to visit my grandchildren, I thought long and hard about becoming a foster parent and decided that I did want to do it.” As Casey began to think about becoming a foster parent, she realized that she had a lot of love to give and that she could give it to a child in need. The first child that was given to her was a child who many thought would never be able to speak or walk. Through hard work and dedication, Casey was able to prove them wrong and she adopted him. “The first child that was sent to me had multiple disabilities and I found out early on that it was easy for me to care for him and get involved with his medical needs. Ever since then, I have taken the necessary training and am now licensed to take care for children who have multiple disabilities,” she said. To become a licensed foster parent, Casey had to undergo a six-week training that focused on providing a safe, nurturing and caring environment for the children. “I would adopt each and every child that I care for, but unfortunately their medical needs are very expensive and when you adopt a child, you assume that responsibility,” Casey said. “But as long as I am able to care for them properly, these children will stay with me.” Through the renovation process, the family stayed at the Westminster House at Kingwood.