Maria and Rodney Sabado are Dedicated Foster Parents for Hale Kipa’s Transitional Family Homes Program
Since 2006, Maria and Rodney Sabado have hosted more than 10 children in their home through the Hale Kipa Transitional Family Homes Program. Often, when these teens and children first come to the Sabado’s ʻEwa Beach home, they stay in their bedroom and avoid interaction with the family.
But there’s one thing that rarely fails to bring them out of themselves – food. Maria loves to make home-cooked meals.
“This boy that we have now, it’s the same story. He didn’t want to talk to us. I would talk to him, like ‘How was your day?’ and then one night, he said, ‘Oh Auntie, can you cook a pork adobo?’” she said with a laugh. “Now he’s adjusted, and it seems like there’s been a lot of change. He talks. He smiles and he’ll talk story to us while we eat dinner.”
Maria, a supervisor at the Beach Villas at Ko Olina, and Rodney, an IT worker with the federal government, have two biological daughters, ages 31 and 18. Maria, who grew up in the Philippines with seven siblings, reached out to Hale Kipa after seeing programming on the Filipino television station about homeless and starving children there. Although she could send money, beyond that, she wasn’t sure how to help. But she knew she could provide a safe place to live (and her fabulous cooking) for children and teens here on O‘ahu.
While they live with them, the Sabados teach the young visitors about good manners and treating others with respect, while showing them the same.
“Because if you don’t give that to the child, they won’t respect you back,” Maria said.
Some of the children need assistance with basic hygiene and fitness skills, she said.
One teen girl who loved dancing enthusiastically attended the Zumba classes that Maria teaches, encouraging her to adopt healthier habits.
“I would always say, ‘Ok, I’m teaching Zumba tonight. Do you want to come?’ And she was always ready,” Maria said.
The Sabados have proudly stayed in touch with some of the children who have lived with them, including a young woman who continued to attend Maria’s Zumba class after moving out and a boy who left their home when he was only 12 and is now a working father on the mainland. It’s a big commitment, Maria said, but one that is well worthwhile for those who are ready to take on the responsibility.
