Detective Jack Mook, a retired veteran and volunteer at a local Pittsburgh boxing gym teaches underprivileged kids how to box. He often befriends the kids, becoming a mentor. Two brothers who were in foster care would come regularly and really enjoy their time with him. One day the two brothers didn’t show up for their lesson. Detective Mook went in search and found the older brother worn out. He discovered they had been in a foster home where they were neglected and abused. Mook took matter into his own hands to get them placed into a new foster home . . . his. He had been fostering the two boys for two years. Though being a single parent has been hard at times, he felt it was the best decision to adopt them.
There are more than 400,000 kids and young adults in foster care. Many of these kids were in harmful situations where their parents were either neglectful, abusive, emotionally harming, or unable to provide for their children. These children often stay in the foster system for over a year and only half of them are adopted, while 20 percent “age out” of the foster system, not having any support when they leave. Becoming a foster parent and applying to be a foster home can give the children the love, safety, and care that they need.
