LODGE GRASS For more than 40 years, a Lodge Grass woman has opened her home to nearly 160 children, building a family that continues long after foster care officially ends.Watch Dana's story of fostering here: Lodge Grass woman reflects on fostering nearly 160 children over 40 yearsEven at 31 years old, Donna Chavez knows there is one place she can always come home to.Gods truly blessed this house with a peaceful atmosphere, Chavez said. Its definitely a lighthouse for me.The woman keeping that light on is her foster mother, Dana Bartlett, whose home in Lodge Grass has long been a refuge for her children in need. Growing up, I've just always known my mom to be my mom, said Chavez. "I've always felt safe. If ever I needed her, she's always given me a safe place to go to.Chavez is just one of the nearly 160 children she and her late husband, Keith, have fostered and cared for over the span of more than 40 years."I fostered for almost 40 years and have had 160 kids in that 40 years. Some, one day, some, you know, 30 years," said Bartlett. It wasn't planned at all, but I've loved every minute of it.After moving to Lodge Grass and opening a caf, the couple soon took in their first foster child. One placement soon led to a home filled with as many as eight children at a time.Over the years, their commitment expanded beyond traditional foster care. Bartlett said she frequently sought guardianship instead to keep them out of the system when possible. "I've taken in kids that didn't have a home or needed a place to stay. It wasn't always through foster care, said Bartlett.In 2010, the volunteers built and donated the 12-bedroom, five-bathroom house they now live in after a ministry group in Colorado reached out unexpectedly."Ronny Morris ran King's Kids out of Colorado, called us up, and he said, 'God told us to build your house, what do you want?'" recalled Bartlett. "He said, 'Write down what you want and then double it because we serve a big God.'"While Bartlett legally adopted two children, Jonathan and Benjamin, who are cousins and now teenagers, she said the idea of family has always extended far beyond paperwork.Legally, it's just been two," said Bartlett. "But in my heart, there's 18 that I know that I will be mom, grandma, great-grandma for their kids for their lives. Bartlett acknowledges fostering has never been easy, but said the payoff has been rewarding."Especially when you get these broken kids, you know, they take a lot of time and a lot of attention, and just a lot of love, but it pays off in the end, said Bartlett. Literally every dinner, I get a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and then 'thank you' in three different languages from several of the kids. It's like, they just love me dearly, and I am the one blessed. I'm not here alone. Many of the children she fostered remain part of her life well into adulthood, even helping care for some of her grandchildren. Her first foster daughter, Tara McCurdy, is now preparing for her own daughter to welcome a child.My mom is amazing, McCurdy said. She's just always shown up, and I love her to pieces."Christmas has always been especially meaningful in the Bartlett home, often filled with returning children and extended family. This year, Bartlett was gifted a Great Pyrenees puppy that her daughter and granddaughter drove to Colorado Springs to pick up."It was pretty cool growing up in a stable home with all those kids coming through. I wouldn't change it," said Chavez. Beyond her home, Bartlett has also worked to support the broader community. Most recently, she assisted with the towns first Toys for Tots drive to Lodge Grass, which expanded to Crow Agency, Pryor, and Wyola."I called Mo from Sheridan and she got the whole thing going and got it to the four communities, said Bartlett. "Thousands and thousands of toys came into the community."So much has come out of this house. It comes in, but man, we push it back out just as fast, added Chavez.In 2019, Bartletts husband died after a three-year battle with cancer. She said he spent his final years devoted to the children they cared for together."He was a good guy. I miss him terribly, said Bartlett. While she has not fostered in nearly two years, the safe place they built together still stands. Adult children, like Chavezwho recently moved back in while resettling her lifestill come back when they need help.My mom actually helped me out of a bad situation, said Chavez. "I just felt like I needed to reset and be in a healthy environment, and she always takes me in with open arms ... I am so glad that I ended up in such a good place, like, not many kids get that, and I thank God for that every day.Bartlett's family is built not by blood, but by love. For her, fostering was never temporary, and she encourages other parents to see fostering as a lifelong commitment."It doesn't end at 18. These kids need a forever home," said Bartlett. "This is the third generation that I get to be a part of their life, and I get to be mom, I get to be grandma, and soon, come March, I get to be great grandma ... and without them, I wouldn't be that, so they gave me the greatest gift. ...read more read less