Strengthening Families Through Foster Care and Adoption
For more than a century, The Salvation Army Children's Services has been committed to connecting children with safe, loving, and supportive families through foster care and adoption. Today, the need continues to grow. In Pennsylvania, more than 13,000 children are currently in foster care, with thousands waiting for permanent adoptive homes. Referrals for children needing foster care continue to rise, especially for young children and sibling groups.
Families like Susan and Harold Guntz demonstrate the life-changing impact foster and adoptive parents can have on children in need. Since becoming foster parents through The Salvation Army in 2013, the Guntz family opened their hearts and home to numerous children and ultimately adopted four children through the foster care system.
Susan's connection to foster care began in childhood when her own parents fostered children in need. Her personal experiences, combined with a lifelong career in social services and adoption work, inspired her continued commitment to helping vulnerable children and families. Throughout their fostering and adoption journey, Susan and Harold's faith has remained a constant source of strength, guidance, and encouragement.
One of the family's most meaningful milestones was the adoption of Austin, who joined the Guntz family as an infant and was later officially adopted alongside his biological sisters already living in the home. Their story reflects the power of stability, connection, and unconditional love in helping children heal and thrive.
In 2023, Susan and Harold founded Healing Hearts Outreach, a nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging, equipping, and supporting foster and adoptive families caring for children with complex needs. While continuing to raise their children, they remain active in partnering with organizations that serve foster and adoptive families throughout the community.
"The need for loving foster and adoptive families is greater than ever," said Florence Rhue, Director of The Salvation Army Children's Services. "Families like Susan and Harold truly demonstrate the compassion, commitment, and hope that can transform a child's life."
The Salvation Army Children's Services also continues to expand trauma-informed supports for children and caregivers through specialized programs and community partnerships designed to help children heal from difficult experiences and strengthen connections.
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