Drive north of Interstate 70 on Lee’s Summit Road in Independence, MO, and soon you’ll come to a long driveway winding through green hills dotted with small brick buildings. It’s not a college campus, though it looks like one. It’s the home of 27 foster children lucky enough to have landed at Drumm Farm.
Drumm is unique in the Kansas City metro area: a group foster-care facility that gives kids a permanent place to call home. Its history, as storied as Father Flanagan’s Boys Town, began in 1919, when Major Andrew Drumm bequeathed 372 acres of farmland “for the maintenance, care, education and protection of orphan and indigent boys.” Times have changed since then. The institute is now open to both boys and girls. The parklike grounds house a playground, gymnasium and various offices. Three family homes, each an attractive brick building framed by a white-pillared porch, have replaced the dormitory-style living of the past. But the staff of Drumm Farm carry on the major’s mission: to give homes and families to children who need them.
A Family Home
Kimberlee Peppers and her husband foster six children along with their own kids at McClure House. Inside, McClure looks like any other family home, including a living room, kitchen and a dining room table big enough for everyone. Kate Schwaller, director of development, says that while “each house has a different feel to it,” the dining room table is essential to give kids a feeling of togetherness. Peppers accommodates the kids’ schedules to preserve the family dinnertime.
The kids’ bedrooms are decorated with pink linens and Justin Bieber posters—typical girl stuff. A separate study room includes computers, study materials and scads of books.
Like all Drumm house parents, the Pepperses have college degrees and must attend 40 hours’ training annually to retain their position. Most house parents have backgrounds in child development, social work or education. At least one parent is required to stay at home.
“We’re like a big supportive extended family,” says Drumm Farm executive director Rufus Little. He likens Drumm to a close-knit neighborhood, where families interact and parents can troubleshoot with each other and with staff.
Off campus, Drumm kids are enrolled in Independence public schools. Some are in clubs or on sports teams. Drumm offers onsite tutoring as well as clinical counseling for those who need it. The goal, says Little, is to give each child a good education and to formulate a plan for his or her adult life, whether that involves secondary education or job training.
A Life in Foster Care
While Drumm is an idyllic setting, make no mistake: The kids here have had tough lives. Bouncing around the foster care system takes a psychological toll. Little admits that kids arrive a bit gun shy. Uncertainty is the common thread in their experience, and parents work hard to help newcomers feel secure. An important component, says Schwaller, is Drumm’s commitment to keeping siblings together, something independent foster families can’t always manage.
Fostering is hard work, says Little, and the state doesn’t offer much support. “Some of the best foster parents end up burned out,” Schwaller agrees, because new licensees often take on the toughest cases. Drumm Farm is committed to all foster kids, and in that spirit, they partner with Midwest Foster & Adoption Association, whose office is on the Drumm campus. The MFAA is not directly tied to Drumm, but their services mesh nicely, offering training, counseling and resources for foster parents, including a clothing and food bank.
A Success Story
Both Schwaller and Little are eager to talk up Drumm’s most recent success story, a young man named Steven who arrived four years ago at the age of 16. Eager to prove himself, Steven joined the high school debate team and later attended community college. This year, he’s enrolled at Emporia State. Drumm remains his home, where he can return for school breaks to visit his younger brother, who still lives there.
“Kids placed here like being here,” Little says. “It’s a very safe place.” He admits not every child excels the way Steven has. “You do the best for the kid when you get him and hope it sticks,” he says. The best thing Drumm can do is provide a loving foundation that fosters growth. “Our main mission is to give kids a stable place to call home,” Schwaller agrees. “We’re their roots. And they can lay themselves down here.”
If you’re interested in becoming a foster parent or making a donation to Drumm Farm, visit www.DrummFarm.org.
Shawnee resident Claire M. Caterer is a freelance writer for several local and national publications. Photo courtesy of Brockton Creative Group.