Houston couple responsible for fostering 60 children

HOUSTON – It's a story of love being honored by one of the direct recipients of that protection, shelter and guidance.

Andrew Martin, of northwest Harris County, recently found out the woman who fostered him as a baby nearly 35 years ago died, so he tracked down her husband to make sure he knew what a difference they made in his life.

He posted the reunion with Dennis DeGeorge on Facebook. It was recorded in the same house in which Martin was fostered.

"I love you, too," DeGeorge can be heard saying in the post to Martin. "He's (Martin) been well taken care of. I enjoyed every minute of it, even though you weren't wondering. I loved it anyhow."

The DeGeorges fostered 60 children over the course of 40 years.

Verna DeGeorge died in April, and when Martin found out, he made arrangements to visit Dennis DeGeorge to spend time together and reminisce.

"Verna, she was tough as nails," Martin said. "She was that tough as nails but had a heart as big as Texas. You knew that she loved you."

Martin now is the founder of an organization that introduces young boys who are being fostered or come from single-parent homes to the outdoors. He also is a husband and father and says his life and focus are the results of the love the DeGeorges gave him.

"I wasn't trying to toot my own horn," Martin said about the Facebook post. "My whole heart was just screaming: 'I want to honor you because you chose me when I was a baby. You chose me.' I went from being a statistic to changing other people's lives through an organization."

Martin's organization is called The Hearts of the Father. For more information, you can go to the foundation's website by clicking here.


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