TEXAS — Larry and Carol Green have taken care of 77 kids in their home over the past eight years and that's one of the reasons they're honored as Texas Foster Parents of the Year.
"It's the hardest job you can have, but you love it,” said Larry.
"There's such a need, and it's so hard to say no,” said Carol.
“It's true, they rarely say no if they can do it,” said Presbyterian Children’s Home and Services Senior Case Manager Kendra King.
The couple received the award from the Texas Council of Child Welfare Boards Friday.
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"We were surprised, I just thought we did what any foster family was supposed to do. I didn't know we were doing anything special,” said Carol.
"Their heart is in the right place, so you know if you have a sibling group and you call them. You know they want to place those kids in their home so they can stay together and they don't have to be in a shelter,” said King.
The Greens raised three kids of their own and received their license to be foster parents eight years ago.
When they started out, they didn't expect to ever help more than two children, but once they saw the difference they made in these kids' lives, the positive change they saw in their behavior, they knew they wanted to open their home and hearts.
"When you see the situations they've come from, it's hard to think of those that are going to continue that way that could be helped,” said Carol.
"We could spend half a day trying to call around to find someone to take children, you know not all families take six kids. The Greens can take up to six children and not all foster homes are able to do that,” said King.
The Greens said they have photos of every single one of the 77 foster children on a wall in their home and try to keep in contact with as many as they can.
They plan to keep opening their home to foster kids as long as they can.