70+ Foster Parents' 50-Year Journey

0:00On March 30, Michael and Marilyn, a couple from Rockstale in their late 70s, he's 78. She's 74, just hit 50 years as. Foster parents with no retirement in sight. They started back in 1976 after spotting a council ad for carers, and since then, they have opened their home to 300, 36 kids, providing stability when it was needed most. It all kicked off when they were newlyweds with two young kids of their own, and they jumped at the chance to care for tiny babies. What began with one two day old snowballed into four or five placements a year, blending right into their family life alongside their five biological, children and 13 grandchildren. The impact shows in the lifelong bonds they've built. Kids return for cuddles, bringing their own families, and the couples attended everything from weddings to 21st birthdays. Marilyn's become like a mom to hundreds, feeling gaps with pure love, and adoptive parents often credit them for how those children turned out.

1:03Recently, they snagged the mayoral award for their service, with officials calling them an extraordinary example of kindness and patience that reshaped. Hundreds of lives. Right now, they're fostering three little ones, including a seven-week old. Proving age is just a number. They're fit and healthy, talking about easing up someday when the right call comes, but for now, this call keeps their hearts full and their home, buzzing with the next generation's hope.