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THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL Sunday, May 10, 1987
Day's honor hails years
of devotion
...Foster mother fondly recalled
By: Penni Crabtree, Staff Reporter
"Mama" Ballard bore only three children, but every Mother's Day she answers to 250 of them.
Most of them, of course, can't make it to the traditional Mother's Day eal in the spacious, jumbled, nine-bedroom house that has been home to an assortment of disadvantaged youngsters who needed a break. They are in other places living other lives - but most try to call or send a card to let 'Mama" JoeAnn Ballard, 42; and her husband, 'Daddy" Monroe Ballard, 49, know they remember. "I think of them as parents all the time," said Mammie Benson, 23, one of about 20 Ballard 'foster' children who will be on hand for the traditional meal today. "They were the parents I really needed."
The Ballards, who have two daughters and a son of their own, said they never intended to take parenthood quite so seriously. They never applied to be foster parents through any agency, never sought funds, never recruited. But in the course of their church work and through Ballard's work as a sixth-grade teacher, they came across young people who needed help.
They gave the children their telephone number and told them to call. The telephone has been ringing steadily for 20 years now. Miss Benson still has the same scrap of paper with the telephone number Ballard gave to her when she was on of his sixth-grade students. She didn't call until 1983, after she had dropped out of college financially and mentally defeated because she couldn't get a job and her family couldn't afford to pay her tuition.
Ballard learned of his former student's problems through Miss Benson's sister. He sent Miss Benson a message to call and she did. Miss Benson said the Ballards helped her fill out education grants, found a private sponsor to help with expenses and a car, and gave her a room in their home where she could study. "Since I called, everything has fallen together," said Miss Benson, a junior at Memphis State University and a full-time resident at the Ballad's home.
The Ballards' first venture into foster parenthood was less ambitious, but it set the tone for the rest, said Mrs. Ballad. "The first child we had was one of Monroe's sixth-grade students - she lived in a house with 10 children and the family was struggling. We'd bring her home for the weekends, take her shopping, buy her clothes, took her to church. We wanted to give her a chance to be exposed to more and let her know the possibilities."
A neighbor who heard about the family's weekend guest told the Ballards about another child at his church - a sickly girl with tangled hair and dirty clothes. The Balloards went to the girl's parents, persuaded them of their good intentions, and invited the youngster to be their second weekend guest.
Since then, more than 250 children and young adults have passed through the Ballards' home. Some were weekend guest for a few months or 10 years. Others lived with the Ballards daily for as long as 11 years. Word of their personal ministry eventually spread through Memphis. Eight years ago, a group of churches approached the couple and asked them to head an inner-city neighborhood center. There are now five Neighborhood Christian Centers in the Memphis area, supported by a number of churches and agencies. They all operate on principles honed by the Ballards in their home. "We wanted to implement our Christian values in a practical way," said Ballad, who attends Friendship Church of the Nazarene with his wife. "We were always interested in helping people." The couple grinned at each other, and Ballad gave an easy shrug to illustrate how simple their decision was. "A child came into our lives," he said, smiling, "and we were open to it."
"Copyright, (1987), The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN 38103. Used with permission. Notice: This article may not be copied, downloaded, or reproduced in any form or medium without express, written permission from The Commercial Appeal."