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By the summer of 1989, Ralph and Nancy were working with the youth group in their church in Corvallis, OR. The church in Corvallis sent a team from the youth group to Kleos Children's Community. Ralph and Dawn came as part of the team. Both left feeling that they would eventually move to Kleos. Nancy warmed up to the idea as well. One problem: the Hankins insisted that all new Houseparents be free of debt before coming to Kleos, and the Lanes still owed money on a previous business venture. Ralph, a school bus driver, was not working during the summer. Still, they were granted an interview. Three days before the interview, Ralph was called to drive busses for firefighters working a fire line. Nancy came to the interview alone. As it happened, The Lord blessed Ralph with enough extra income from the fire lines to put the Lanes completely debt free. They moved to Kleos in September, 1989. When they first moved in, their house was not yet complete. For 3 weeks, they had no water and only a small space heater. A grant from Weyerhaeuser finished their house. Shortly after, they received their first child. Since that time, they have housed over 150 children. The challenges are as numerous and varied as the children themselves. For example, their youngest foster child was a 2 1/2 month old baby who was born addicted to drugs. One young lady who lived with the Lanes was just starting to get a footing when her mother pulled her back out of Kleos. After several stormy years using drugs, this young lady is on a good track in her life, restoring relationships & being clean from drugs! She still keeps in touch with the Lane family after many years.
Judging by the smiles all around, the kids are adjusting to it!
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R
alph and Nancy Lane were NOT going to move from their comfortable home in Corvallis,
OR and that was that! At least, in 1985 it was. Bit by bit, the Lord began changing their hearts. He began showing Ralph and Nancy that His purpose for them involved
loving & caring for kids besides just their own. At first, Nancy resisted. After all, they had two wonderful kids of their own, Dawn and Chris.
Ralph and Nancy assure every child that comes into their home that the child, no matter what,
they will always be one of "their kids". This small gesture is of GREAT comfort to children whose parents have died, or have been declared unfit by the state. Often the children have bounced from parents to relatives to
Foster Care before landing at Kleos Children's Community. Ralph and Nancy have the challenge of finding out what really happened to a child before coming to Kleos so they can deal more effectively with the child's problems.
Ralph and Nancy work hard at earning the child's trust and being consistent. Loving, stable, consistent families are often a new experience for the kids that come into the Lane home.