Shanda and Julius Karow did not set out to become foster parents. When the couple completed their licensing paperwork 14 years ago with Arrow Child and Family Ministries, they intended to operate strictly as an adoptive home.
Fourteen years later, the Karows have opened their home to 28 children, ranging from newborns to a 19-year-old mother who had a child of her own. They have adopted four children and are currently fostering a 6-year-old who has lived with them for three years.
“We fell into foster care, we didn’t know anyone fostering, we didn’t know anything,” Shanda Karow said.
Pointing to his own upbringing, Julius Karow was raised by his grandparents, who took him in at birth because of his biological parents’ struggles.
“My grandparents were 60 and 50 when they took me in, and they were able to see four kids graduate by the time my grandmother passed away at 73,” Julius Karow said.
After the Karows completed their licensing, their file was transferred to a completely different office and subsequently, they were logged as a foster family.
Before discovering the error, the couple received placements who later returned to family.
The temporary nature of the placements left them devastated and confused, the Karows asked Arrow how to finalize an adoption, only then did officials realize error with their file.
“They figured out the error and we settled in our spirit,” Shanda Karow said. “We told each other you know what, we can do this.”
The decision to remain in foster care solidified after that first placement, who went to live with his great-grandmother, left the Karows heartbroken and worried about how an elderly relative would manage his severe tantrums.
As it turned out, the child’s biological great-grandmother was the mayor of Julius’ hometown and had coincidentally watched Julius Karow grow up and play high school football.
When the Karows connected with her, she shared a special detail from the three-year-old’s first lunch at her house. After she made him a sandwich, the toddler stopped her, insisted they pray and recited the exact prayer the Karows taught previously.
“We saw these little moments as confirmation we were doing what God had asked,” Julius Karow said. “We got to see this relative, who didn’t even know this little boy existed until he came into foster care, and she was willing to step up and fight for him.”
Throughout their time, not only has their home changed with who is living with them, but it changed how the Karows viewed biological families of foster youth too.
The Karow’s fifth placement was a reportedly abandoned newborn from a hospital. During the reunification process, Julius met with the parents for visitation exchanges, which revealed a different story
“I really got to see a lot of restoration and repentance, they were just scared, young kids,” Julius Karow said. “Bio families are really just people who are one mistake away from being in this situation.”
Julius and Shanda Karow emphasized situations like this showed them that there is brokenness, but there’s also a lot of beauty in the process of standing in the gaps for not only the children, but their families too.
Fast forward nearly a decade, their service to both youth and families continued in a new way.
In 2021, the Karows officially launched Kingdom Care Orphan Care, a nonprofit organization which addresses the gaps the pair experienced firsthand.
Kingdom Care Orphan Care runs several seasonal programs:
- Monthly Parent Night Out: A partnership with a local bounce-and-play facility utilizing community volunteers so parents can have a break.
- Back to School Bash: An initiative providing a week’s worth of brand-new clothing to roughly 130 children annually.
- Christmas Shoe Drive: A program delivering new shoes to children during the holidays.
- Trauma-Informed VBS: A specialized Vacation Bible School tailored to children with trauma backgrounds who may struggle in traditional church environments.
- Aging-Out Support: Assistance for youth exiting the foster system, including furnishing apartments, providing laptops or bicycles for college, and hosting baby showers.
The nonprofit has also expanded to assist biological families at risk of losing their children. They partner with three school districts, local police departments and DFPS investigators to provide resources like beds, car seats, formula and utility assistance in lieu of CPS referrals.
In 2025, the organization served more than 1,700 children and 500 families.
Reflecting on their 14-year journey, Shanda Karow pointed to his own upbringing and encouraged those hesitant about fostering to take the leap.
“If God’s calling you to it, he’s going to make a way, so just say yes and trust him to do the rest,” Shanda Karow said.
Arrow thanks Shanda and Julius Karow for their commitment to brightening the lives of youth in foster care. Learn more about Arrow’s foster care services here.
