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House of Raeford Farms FLOCK believes that every child deserves not just shelter, but a family, love, and a true sense of home. The core aspects of foster care are providing a safe and loving environment while supporting a child’s journey towards healing and development.
Meet Sara and Brian Byrd. Residents of northern Louisiana, Brian is a Quality Control Director for the Weyerhaeuser Company while Sara has been with the Arcadia, Louisiana division of House of Raeford Farms for 12 years working as a Breeder Service Tech, Hatchery Manager, and currently Live Haul Supervisor. Sara also serves as a dedicated member of our FLOCK team in Arcadia, planning and executing outreach activities to the community. “House of Raeford has supported us wonderfully as we have walked this journey,” Sara emphasized,
While attending her first FLOCK meeting nine years ago, Sara had an eye-opening experience. For more than 10 years, the Arcadia FLOCK team had been supporting the Louisiana Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), whose mission is to build, support, and advocate for a statewide network of Court-Appointed volunteers to speak for abused and neglected children. After learning how many children were just “flying in the wind” needing a relationship with a caring adult, Sara and Brian volunteered to serve with CASA.
Five years later the couple knew where God was leading them. They stepped away from CASA and entered the life of foster parenting. After eight weeks of foster care training, Sara and Brian received their first placement – a six-year-old girl. She was only with them for less than a month before going to live with relatives, but Sara described it as “the longest three weeks of my life.” Life had transformed dramatically. After 13 years of marriage with no children, suddenly their priorities changed.
“We lived a selfish life before foster care and adoption,” Sara shared, frankly. “We have a new life perspective. Things that we thought were important are not so much when a child is in the home. We have become more intentional with our time.”
Following a three-month break to reflect on their decision, Sara and Brian moved forward and welcomed nine-year old Ryan into their home. The goal for the children entering an unfamiliar environment is to feel stability, safety, and to know they are “wanted.” The hope is to work with families towards reunification, but that is not always the outcome. In May of this year the Byrds officially adopted Ryan, now 11 years old, into their family.
“I realize now that everything in my life prepared me for foster parenting,” Sara reflected candidly. In March of this year, the Byrds opened their hearts again when they added two more foster boys, ages five and seven, to their growing family. However, they have been careful to be attentive to Ryan, especially in building his relationship with Brian, by setting aside special activities for the two of them to experience together.
“We will never be able to walk away from foster care,” Sara and Brian concluded. There is such a great need for this type of parenting, and we want to be a strong voice in hopes of awakening others who have a similar calling on their lives.”
The Byrd’s story is one of compassion, courage, and calling. We honor Sara and Brian for their selfless love and their powerful example of what it means to step into someone else’s life—and change it forever. If you feel inspired by the Byrd’s journey, learn how you can support a child by contacting:
Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) – Louisiana
https://dcfs.louisiana.gov/page/be-there-foster
Outside of Louisiana, contact the DCFS office in your state.