Pay it 4ward: Compassionate couple recognized for helping foster children

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – This week’s Pay it 4ward is for the children who are in treatment foster care because of severe emotional or behavioral issues related to trauma.

Nominators Rhonda and Tim Crawley have been foster parents for over a decade. They transferred their license to Albuquerque’s High Desert Family Services last year and said the new owners really blew them away.

"We’ve always had foster kids in our home, so it’s part of our life and we enjoy doing it," said Rhonda Crawley. "The difference that we’ve seen in the treatment foster care system through Tom and Leticia and High Desert has just been amazing, and they really go out of their way to make sure they do the best for the kids and the community, and we’ve just been very impressed by their system."

Tom and Leticia Tafoya bought the place four years ago, it’s a specialized facility that gives parents and families an extra level of training and support because a majority of the kids they serve are in CYFD custody.

"They make sure that every child is seen as an individual, and they have a treatment plan that is specific to each child. And that means a lot to the kids here,” said Rhonda.

They said the Tafoya’s have given them so much, so they decided to Pay it 4ward with $400.

“Oh my god what a blessing, thank you, what a blessing, thanks be to God. Thank you so much, thank you so much,” said Tom Tafoya.

Even though the work they do is truly a passion, they said it’s nice to be recognized.

"We became foster parents ourselves. So we became foster parents and then after being foster parents for a while we became adoptive parents. So we know what our families go through, we know this walk, and we know what’s needed," said Leticia Tafoya.