LOUISVILLE, Ky. — This weekend, St. Joseph Children's Home is celebrating its 175th annual picnic fundraiser. The picnic is crucial to funding the mission at St. Joe's, which has served thousands of kids over the decades and helped many find loving homes.
The Buccolas are one family that traces its roots to the lawn at St. Joe's.
Greg and Valerie Buccola attended the picnic one year as guests. They wanted a family, and, inspired by what they witnessed, took a leap of faith to ask about foster care.
"There are so many kids who don't have the benefit of someone tucking them in at night," Greg Buccola said.
There are more than 8,000 kids in Kentucky's foster care system right now. St. Joe's does its part as a residential home and by helping families become foster parents. Over the past ten years, it has also helped with adoptions for 120 kids.
St. Joe's connected the Buccolas with 10-year-old Keris and her brother to foster. The siblings had first been placed in foster care in Shelbyville.
"I was too young to know what was going on but I knew something was going on," Keris Buccola said of the environment that led to her placement. Keris, now in her 20's, said it took time to adjust.
At first, the goal was to end up back with her biological parents.
"There was a clicking point when my biological family didn't show up to certain things, and as I got older thinking 'what would my life be like, what could I do,'" she said.
Less than a year after Keris and her brother arrived in their home, the Buccolas took in and adopted another pair of siblings. For Keris, it sparked a new vision of family.
"The first time Sophia and Jake called mom and dad, 'mom and dad,' I was like 'no' and the I was like 'fine mom and dad,'" she said with a laugh.
When Keris was in high school, they made it official and the Buccolas adopted her and her brother. Though her name has changed, the love is the same.
"I'm officially a Buccola. Officially having that name, there's so many things to accomplish from here," she said.
Greg and Valerie Buccola eventually fostered dozens of kids, sharing years of lessons and experiences that grew into strong family ties.
"You open your heart and become more open to the vision of a family that you never imagined could be," Greg Buccola said.
"As much as they learn from us we learn just as much from them," Valerie Buccola added.
The Buccolas credit their success with the foster system to unwavering support and resources from St. Joe's.
"The foster care system has peaks and valleys, and it's uncertain, and it can be dark and it can be amazing," Greg Buccola said. "All of those are just road blocks and logistics that St. Joe's helps to navigate for and with you."
Looking ahead to the 175th picnic, where it all began, they know thousands of families share their roots, and many more will help them grow.
"By coming to picnic, they're changing the lives of children who are here," Valerie Buccola said.
The 175th annual St. Joe's Picnic on Frankfort Avenue is August 9 and 10. It's free, but you can also purchase food, beverages, and raffle tickets for prizes. To celebrate the milestone anniversary, the typical chicken dinner will cost $1.75, and there will also be an additional day of live music.
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