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Principal in Palm Beach County helping with fostering crisis

Posted at 10:06 PM, Jan 16, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-17 12:00:22-05

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Some are calling it a state crisis. There are more foster children than foster homes.

So, one family decided to open their door and the timing couldn't have been better.

Five days out of the week, you will find principal Richard Ledgister walking the halls.

"It's because I love what I do and I love kids," Ledgister said.

As principal he's responsible for around 300 kids and at home the work doesn't stop.

"I'm married to a wonderful woman and we have three beautiful children and they're all under 8-years old," he said.

But for Ledgister it wasn't quite a full house.

"There's a need and it's right around us," Ledgister said.

So he and his wife decided to apply to become foster parents.

"People just fall on difficult times and need that extra support," Leslie Serena said.

Serena is the Executive Director of Camelot Care. She says the day after the Ledgister's were certified they had two boys that needed to be placed in a new home.

"It really kind of touched home. Touched their hearts," she said.

"That call revealed to me that there is a need and the need is right around us," Ledgister said.

For him, it was down the hall in his school's cafeteria.

"The call came in, he looked sad in the cafeteria and I had lunch with him," he recalled. "I just was sitting there having lunch with him. Little did I know the next day we would be having dinner together."

It's a role he's still getting used to.

"Being able to take him from school and having dinner with him and helping him with homework, it's very different," he said.

But he hopes others follow his lead.

If you are interested in learning more about fostering a child you can contact Camelot Care 561-649-0877.