Friends and Neighbors: Laura Whelchel

Choosing to trade a somewhat urban lifestyle in Colorado for a more peaceful rural life in Banner County fits the Whelchel family just fine.

Laura, her husband, Dave, and two children are glad they did just 16 years ago.

"It was getting too populated where we were in Colorado," Laura said. "We always came here to go camping and we always enjoyed it, so we thought, 'Well, we'll just look for a farm.'"

When they found their current home, she said they just decided to jump in.

Their family has also expanded in that time. The Whelchels went from their family of four to a family of nine all within the last 15 years. After thinking about it for years, they decided to become foster parents. Their larger home in Nebraska allowed them to do just that.

"When we moved out here, our new house was quite a bit bigger and we only had our two children," Laura said. "So, we decided it would be a perfect place to raise kids, in a big old farm house."

The Whelchels have fostered a total of six children, and from those six – adopted five of them. Laura said their first foster child was reunited with his mother, who had done the work needed and made the changes needed to accomplish the reunion.

"That's what foster care is about, is trying to get the kids back together with their parents," she said.

The next five, which are biologically siblings – legally became part of the Whelchel family.

"Our oldest is 28 years old and our youngest is 4," she said.

Laura said the entire family has enjoyed the experience, and everyone had to part of decision to foster and adopt - even their biological children, since it also affected them.

Since become foster parents, they have been advocates for foster parenting. In September of 2011, then U.S. Sen. Mike Johanns invited the couple and their then 3-month old foster daughter to Washington, D.C., to speak to the congress regarding foster parenting and the children in the foster care program. "It was really a neat trip," Laura said.

All of the children raised on the Whelchel farm over the years have had their daily chores, as there have many animals that needed tending. When the children were all younger, they would start with the care of the smaller farm animals and then as they got older, they would move on to the larger animals. Laura believed it was good for the children to be involved in the care of the animals, which helped to build self-confidence in their abilities. She also said the children enjoyed the animals. The family has raised turkeys, chickens, cattle, pigs, rabbits, horses, mules and goats.

"We have a small micro goat dairy," Laura said. "I started making soaps out of the extra goat milk. I was freezing it for us to use throughout the winter, and then I just had too much leftover. So, I thought I would just make a batch of soap with it – and we fell in love with it."

Laura said their family drinks goat milk rather than milk from cattle dairy because the fat content in the goat's milk is better for your body and better for digestion.

The Whelchels are also the founders of Camp Grace, which they started in 2009. The camp was created due to the fact that the children they fostered and then adopted had special needs.

"They all were involved in occupational, physical and speech therapy at the rehab center," she said. "And then we had gotten a golden retriever and he was actually trained as a service dog. So, I just came up with this idea to get him certified in the state of Nebraska and I would take him to rehabilitation with us and all of the kids responded really well to him ("Cooper"). They loved it."

Laura then told the therapist at the rehabilitation center, Karen Donovon, that she really love to bring all of the children to her farm, since they responded so well to Cooper.

"So, we decided, 'Let's try this...let's give it a try," Laura said.

They had a great turn out to their first try at the camp six years ago and decided to continue from there. The camp was given its name in memory of Grace Widener, adopted daughter of Mel and Lori Widener of Kimball, who was born with down syndrome and died at age 5 from complications of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (R.S.V.). Grace was able to attend the camp when it first started and Laura said that Grace's favorite at the farm was Cooper.

"They were good buddies," she stated of the pair.

Everyone who is involved with Camp Grace is a volunteer, giving freely of time and resources. She explains that they have a Spring theme – a 'welcome to the farm again'- where they have the baby animals - bottle calves, baby goats, baby chicks, baby ducks.

"The kids will touch all that, where they may don't do this in a therapeutic setting, they'll do it here," Laura said.

She also explained that a lot of the children that attend Camp Grace experience sensory problems and animals are a great therapy to help with this aspect.

"You want them to walk and maybe it hurts to walk and it's a lot of work...but, they would walk with Cooper," Laura said.

She said Cooper passed away a couple of years ago, but now they have a new dog that greets and helps with the children during their visit. The camp is open once a month, from May through August. The group also plans a trip to the Riverside Zoo in Scottsbluff and also may rent a day at the Westmoor pool in Scottsbluff, where the camp children can have time to enjoy each other's company.

"This way we can take our time with the kids, and get them down the slide," Laura said.

The Whelchels recently opened their new business – Laura Lee's Double L Country Store - last month in Banner County. The store opened in the old Hilltop dine just south of Harrisburg on Hwy. 71.

Laura said they purchased the old run down building and property two years ago and had been working to renovate it since then.

Most of their menu items include produce that has been grown locally and their in-house baker, also from Banner County, has a culinary degree.

"I love life," Laura said. "And I love doing what I do. I love kids and that's why got into foster care. I just love living here. It's been a great fit for our family."