Six years ago Ken and Doreen Silva became foster parents for the first time, thus began the beginning of a long rewarding journey that lay ahead of them. Within a few years they opened their home to over a dozen children, some with special needs and disorders, and adopted three boys. They still continue to foster others and have made it their mission to try and find a home for every child abandoned without a home in the Rhode Island foster care system.
The Silva‘s one salary income from Ken‘s employment as a garbage truck driver has put all of their financial resources towards raising their children.
Recently, the Silvas were shocked to learn that their children tested positive for having high levels of lead in their system. Upon investigation, they discovered that their home contained dangerous levels of lead throughout the home and the backyard. With their limited resources, the Silvas tried to fix the areas of concern but the cosmetic improvements they made did not even begin to resolve the problem at hand. The Health Department informed the Silvas that they may take the foster children out of the home if they did not remedy the problem.
Daniels Wood Land was asked to create the FUN in the backyard for the kids. The main question was what are the main interests of all these boys? We found out that Ken Silva also works at Seekonk Speedway on the track crew where he used to race cars. So we built an original tree house with steps, deck, and monkey bars. We wanted to incorporate a car into this unique outdoor play fort but we were limited to space in the backyard. That didn‘t stop us we put the car in anyway! With a whole pit crew!
