JP and Gloria Leffman have been foster parents in Kansas for 30 years.

DCCCA recognized their 2017 Featured Foster Family, JP and Gloria Leffmann, on Thursday, November 2 at the annual Governor’s Conference for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect in Topeka.  The award was presented by DCCCA’s Director of Children and Family Services, Jeanette Owens.  The Featured Foster Family award is presented each year to a DCCCA CPA KS foster family  that has consistently demonstrated their dedication to the children of Kansas through their work in foster care.

“Every family makes the decision to foster for a different reason, but in fostering every family shares a piece of their life, a place in their family and in their home.  Fostering is difficult and challenging work but as each of us knows, seeing the difference a supportive and loving home makes in the life of a child becomes a piece of who we are as members of our own families and of our communities.

JP and Gloria Lefmann have been licensed foster parents since 1987.  JP and Gloria are both retired now, JP was a farmer and Gloria was a teacher in the Olathe school system.

JP and Gloria have left an impression on us not just in the sheer volume of kids they have worked with over the years, but in their flexibility and dedication to helping kids in all stages of care. Over the years they have worked with hundreds of children who were both long term and short term placements, children with goals of reintegration, adoption and children who were aging out of the foster care system.  They have helped transition children to adoptive families and are grateful to remain in touch with some of those children.  They also adopted their youngest son Marvin when he was 7 years old. 

JP and Gloria have chosen to share their wealth of knowledge and experience over the years by mentoring other foster families.  They attend support groups and provide valuable advice to other foster parents based on their years and breadth of experience.

JP and Gloria have engrained their love of fostering into their own children who saw first hand the impacts of opening your home to a foster child and have carried that mission forward.  Both their adult son and daughter’s families have decided to continue this endeavor and have become foster families as well.   Over the years these three homes have been able to work together to support each other and the children they cared for by providing respite for the children in each other’s homes.  At one point they worked collaboratively to provide placements for a large sibling group. The siblings were able to live close to each other and visit regularly as the extended family brought them together.

To this day JP and Gloria continue to provide respite to area foster homes.  DCCCA would like to present this award to JP and Gloria Lehmann for dedicating so many years to helping children in Kansas.  JP and Gloria, we extend our gratitude to you both for the amazing work you have done.  Your knowledge and experience is invaluable, thank you for your dedication.”