Samantha and William Genthner transferred to StepStone from a different agency in September 2021. William is retired military and wanted to give back in providing a home for children once his own had grown up. Samantha works in rehab and physical therapy and loved helping people realize their full potential. She has a passion for connecting with children to help them heal and thrive.
The couple initially asked for only two children, as they were unsure if they were able to help more at a single time. In a fortuitous technical error, the state licensed their home for six children instead. When informed at the time of licensure and asked if they wanted the capacity error to be adjusted, they laughed and stated, “keep it for six – I’m sure we will never fill all those spaces!” Fast forward to 2023, and the Genthners have now served 12 children in the past two years and currently do have six children in their home from four different cases. They have moved three times to accommodate more children as they just can’t say no to helping.
No matter the case plan, the couple supports what is best for the children in terms of permanency regardless of their own bond. They had a sibling group of three little boys who returned to their mother in December 2022, and when the Division of Family and Children Services did not have the transportation to get these kids home several hours away by Christmas, the Genthners offered to drive the kids themselves. They even bought the family a Christmas tree and presents. Samantha and William ultimately desire to adopt, and their only regret through their time fostering with StepStone is that they can’t take more kids than they already have. They laugh now in recalling how they only wanted two kids, stating, “You had this planned for us when we transferred to StepStone!” The Genthners are truly one of the sweetest, most passionate foster families and are much loved by the entire StepStone team in Georgia.