[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 51 (Thursday, April 30, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E727]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      COUPLE DOTES ON FAMILY OF 10

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DONALD A. MANZULLO

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 30, 1998

  Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, what is right with America?
  So often we heard about what is wrong with American families. Let me 
tell you what is right about one family in particular. Dan and Julie 
Danielowski. Dan and Julie have a total of five children, and that's a 
house full. But this loving couple, who live in Byron, Illinois, 
decided that there are some really needy kids in America. That's why 
Dan and Julie became foster parents to Jasmine and Jaminique, seven 
years and 18 months ago respectively. When Dan and Julie discovered 
these two girls had three siblings in another foster home, Dan and 
Julie worked on keeping the family together through regular visits.
  The generous hearts of Dan and Julie became even more evident when 
they agreed to adopt all five of these children. That's a total of ten 
children. And they raise these kids on Dan's salary as a public school 
principal.
  Their story is told in the April 23, 1998 edition of the Oregon (IL) 
Republican Reporter, which is attached.
  Who says people in American don't care anymore? Just ask Dan and 
Julie Danielowski. They'll tell you what America is really about.

               [From the Oregon (IL) Republican Reporter]

                      Couple Dotes on Family of 10

                            (By Vinde Wells)

       Julie Danielowski was miraculously still smiling as she 
     loaded three baskets full of wet laundry into her van on a 
     rainy afternoon in preparation for a trip to the laundromat.
       ``This isn't exactly how I'd planned the evening,'' she 
     said with a grimace, ``but the dryer is on the blink, and 
     they say it will take two days to get the part we need.''
       The dryer is just one component crucial to the smooth 
     operation of Danielowski's household--she and her husband Dan 
     are the parents of 10 children ranging in age from four to 
     18.
       Added to that are three dogs and an undetermined number of 
     cats. ``We just had two new litters so we aren't exactly 
     sure,'' Dan said.
       The Danielowskis live near Byron. The house they built 
     themselves is situated on a large, wooded lot with plenty of 
     elbow room.
       The couple's family officially doubled March 5 when the 
     adoption of their youngest five children became final.
       Every aspect of Dan and Julie's lives attests to the fact 
     that they like children.
       Dan is the principal of Roosevelt Community Education 
     Center, Rockford, which includes the Rockford School 
     District's alternative high school and adult education 
     center.
       Julie is a secretary at Mary Morgan Elementary School, 
     Byron.
       When they married eight and a half years ago they blended 
     their children from both their previous marriages. Dan had 
     two and Julie had three, one of whom was adopted.
       Dan said he really likes having kids around--lots of kids. 
     ``When it was just the two kids and I for a year or so, I 
     really liked it when they had friends over.''
       Julie had previously been a foster parent, and Dan realized 
     the need for foster care while he was an assistant high 
     school principal.
       He said he waited for several hours on one occasion with a 
     student and a Department of Children and Family Services 
     worker while the case worker searched for a place for the 
     student to spend the night.
       Dan said the case worker called numerous foster parents 
     only to be repeatedly turned down.
       He said they were interested in providing temporary foster 
     care--a place for children to stay overnight or for a few 
     days until more permanent arrangements can be made.
       ``We had foster care in mind when we built the house,'' Dan 
     said. He said the house is designed in a modular fashion 
     which allows for easy conversion of space from one use to 
     another and for easy expansion.
       The home has three bathrooms, six bedrooms and two family 
     rooms. Dan is in the process of adding a deck on the back.
       Adoption wasn't really part of the plan.
       ``With five kids I figured our lives would be crazy 
     enough,'' Dan said with a laugh.
       All that changed in August of 1995 when Julie got a call 
     from Lutheran Social Services Inc. (LSSI) asking if they 
     could take two girls for the night.
       ``We had a foster care license to do short term care,'' 
     Julie said. ``We thought it would be two days or couple of 
     weeks.''
       The oldest and the youngest girls--Jasmine and Jaminique--
     arrived. They were seven years and 18 months respectively.
       Dan and Julie soon learned that their two little girls came 
     from a family of five. The other three children had been 
     placed in another foster home.
       Julie said that after six months they started providing 
     weekend visits at their home for the other three children so 
     all five children could be together.
       Dan said that sometime within that time it became apparent 
     that the youngsters could not return to their mother's care.
       The situation was complicated because three agencies were 
     involved. The Danielowskis were licensed through LSSI, and 
     were working with both LSSI and DCFS for Jasmine and 
     Jaminique.
       The other three siblings--Jarmanda, Joe and Jovana--were 
     under the supervision of the Children's Home and Aid Society.
       Julie said adopting the children gradually became the 
     obvious solution as the agencies involved searched for a 
     permanent foster home.
       Julie said Jasmine and Jaminique had been in five homes in 
     the previous six months. She said she believed another move 
     would be too much for Jasmine, who had taken on the role of 
     mother to her sisters and brother.
       Dan said that when they learned that all five children 
     might be moved to yet another foster home they decided to 
     act.
       ``LSSI offered to go to bat for us if we were interested in 
     taking all five,'' he said.
       Jamanda, Joe and Jovana came to live with the growing 
     Danielowski family in August of 1996.
       ``It's something I don't think we could have done without 
     the help of our older kids,'' Julie said.
       Julie's day begins a little before 6 a.m. when she gets up. 
     She makes sure everyone else is up by 6:30.
       ``You have to be organized, of course,'' she said, ``but 
     it's just what we do.''
       The family frequently sits down together for meals, she 
     said. That alone is no small feat considering work, school 
     and activities schedules.
       All the children are involved in sports, and other school 
     activities.
       Dan and Julie are on the board of the Byron Civic Theatre, 
     and Dan is currently directing the spring production of 
     ``Little Shop of Horrors''.
       Melissa, Jasmine, Jarmanda, Joe, Jovana and Jaminique swim 
     with the Tiger Sharks.
       Megan has a part-time job at a nearby veterinary clinic.
       She and Kate will both graduate from Byron High School this 
     spring and are headed for college in the fall. The two 
     fifteen-year-olds, Ben and Riley, will start driving in the 
     fall.
       Before all that, however, is a matter of greater urgency--
     getting five ready for the prom.
       The four high school age children are attending the event 
     and Jovana, who is a first grader, will be the prom princess.
       ``Dan asked what this is going to cost us, and I said don't 
     even go there,'' Julie said.

     

                          ____________________