Karin Van Name

April 2024 Issue

by Lesley Kyle
Photography by Lindsay Pettinicchi Photography, LLC

This is not Karin Van Name’s first rodeo. It is her 102nd at the age of 93.

“Wait a minute…,” you might say!

Karin moved from Long Island, New York, to the Lowcountry in 2002. Back then, one of Karin’s daughters lived here, and Karin and another daughter, an x-ray technician, visited often. Tired of the cold weather in New York, mother and daughter decided it might be time for a more permanent change of scenery. The x-ray tech daughter interviewed for a position at a local hospital and was hired. “That’s it, New York!” said Karin’s daughter. “We’re moving to Hilton Head!” Karin has three daughters, two granddaughters, and a grandson and has been a mom for most of her life.

After her children were grown, Karin considered different ways to fill her time. Serendipitously, her eyes fell on the page of a local publication and opportunity found her. “I wasn’t doing anything and saw an ad in the Pennysaver,” said Karin. “I thought, ‘Now that’s something I’d love to do!’” Karin’s long foster care journey began with that advertisement in 1988.
Fostering children has been a rewarding experience for Karin ever since. With a
warm smile, an easy laugh, and a twinkle in her eye, Karin most often welcomes babies – many of whom are newborns—into her Hilton Head home. It is abundantly clear she has great affection for these children who have nowhere else to go. And the feeling is mutual! After fostering children for nearly 40 years, the fundamentals remain the same. “Children are still children, and their needs are still the same,” said Karin. That’s not to say, however, that Karin’s life as a full-time foster mom doesn’t come without challenges. She affectionately remembered a time when she had four girls under her roof—all under the age of two! “But they were all good babies,” said Karin with a laid-back, appreciative smile.

Karin’s life as a foster mom is uniquely filled with highs and lows: time with her charges is fleeting. Most of the placements from the Department of Social Services have been for around 18 months. At 18 months, the mother’s rights are terminated, and the child is available for adoption, or the child is returned to the birth mother. Since Karin raised three daughters of her own, there are few surprises. Over the years, Karin has stayed in touch with six or seven of the children she helped to raise. One family adopted three of Karin’s foster babies—two of whom were siblings—and are now adults. During Hurricane Matthew, Karin, her two daughters, two of her foster babies, and two cats all evacuated to Karin’s former foster children’s home in Estill, South Carolina. Those former foster children—now 18, 19, and 20—still visit Karin and her family regularly.

During Karin’s earlier years as a foster mom, one of her daughters was in labor in a Pennsylvania hospital giving birth to Karin’s first granddaughter. Karin strapped her current four-month-old foster child into a car seat and sped from New York to the Pennsylvania hospital. Sure enough, Karin was pulled over by the New York State Police en route to the hospital. While the trooper let her go, Karin still missed the birth of her first grandchild. Nonetheless, that very momentous occasion soon became even more memorable. Upon arriving at her daughter’s hospital bedside, Karin placed her four-month-old baby boy next to her daughter and her newborn granddaughter. The boy chose that very moment to roll over for the first time!

More recently, one of Karin’s former foster babies Googled her and found the Pink article written by Elizabeth Millen, the magazine’s editor-in-chief and publisher, 13 years ago. The former foster child reached out to Elizabeth and requested Karin’s contact information. Karin happily agreed to reconnect with the boy, now a man, and they have since reminisced and exchanged stories about
his childhood.

Parting with a foster child, as one might imagine, is emotional and difficult, especially since most kids spend 18 months on average in Karin’s home. Whenever possible, Karin writes and sends along a note explaining the child’s history when he/she departs. She includes her name, phone number, and address so the children can stay in touch if they choose to.

Karin had a goal of living at fostering 100 children or reaching her 100th birthday, which ever came first. At the age of 93, she has fostered 102: one child—her 100th—remains in her home while two more have since transitioned out of her care. Her current ward, a baby girl, is in the process of being adopted. “The joy all these children have brought me is indescribable,” said Karin. “Each one is like my own.”

What a wonderful example of kindness, selflessness, and unconditional love she is for us all!