Las Vegas couple have fostered hundreds of youths in need

2008 was a big year for east valley resident Arturo Miramontes. It was the year he started working at the Cannery Warehouse in North Las Vegas and the year that he and his wife, Carolyn, decided to stop their futile efforts to have their own child and to start fostering children.

Due to having a well-paying job and a large house, the Miramonteses became licensed to foster up to six children, which meant they were able to take in large sibling groups to prevent separation.

“We’ve always been fortunate because there’s always been food on our table,” Arturo said. “It’s not all about the money; it’s more about happiness. Doing this has brought us so much good luck.”

Their first set of children were ages 9, 7, 5, 3 and a newborn who would cry and scream due to prenatal methamphetamine exposure.

“It was a challenge, but we’ve learned that having a routine is key,” Arturo said. “Since a lot of foster kids come from a life of violence, we’ve learned how to talk to them and punish them without hurting them.”

Since then, Arturo said they have taken in between 200 and 300 children.

Arturo believes their efforts have paid off because in 2011 they were presented with “a little miracle” — their son, Landon.

“Our son is the main thing because when you have doctors saying that you can’t have kids, you believe them,” Arturo said. “I’m not a religious person, but I’m a big believer in karma.”

Having a son didn’t stop him from fostering other children. Arturo continues to take in siblings and said he treats everyone equally, whether related by blood or not.

Despite parenting hundreds of children and having their own son, they continued to help others when needed. Thus, when Alexis, then 8, was put up for adoption in 2012, they said they were more than happy to take her in. She is now 15.

He said children have kept him youthful and taught him how to whip and nae nae— dance moves based on popular music videos.

He also stays in touch with past foster children through a private page on Facebook to see how they are doing and to give advice.

“Having him as a partner is great because he makes my job easier,” said his wife, Carolyn. “He is more of the strict parent, but we’re still always on the same page.”

“Girls can try to pull a fast one on me with makeup, but I know when they’re wearing it because I’ll rub a wet cloth on their face,” Arturo said. “I know all of their tricks.”

Leah, 13, and Jay, 12, have been under their care for about a year.

“I like him,” Leah said. “He’s funny, crazy, and he’ll just say a lot of jokes.”

“He’s also even with us,” Jay said. “He’s nice and will take us to car shows.”

Perhaps the biggest challenge that he has faced as a foster dad has been the lack of control. Still, Arturo said he’s learned to create positive change.

“People think you can get rich off of foster care, but they don’t see how much money you spend on clothes, bills and food,” Arturo said. “We’ve had so many different type of children from different backgrounds, and we’ve learned a lot about how to deal with kids. Most kids come into foster care hating life, but I would say about 85 percent of kids come to our house and change their ways.”

In addition, Arturo gives back by finding a family at Thanksgiving to buy dinner for and other charitable activities.

The couple also signed up for respite care for foster parents who need a break or have to deal with an emergency.

“I made a promise to help as many people as I could; it just feels normal to me,” Arturo said. “They can call us Mom and Dad or aunt and uncle. I just want them to feel comfortable.”

To reach North View reporter Sandy Lopez, email slopez@viewnews.com or call 702-383-4686. Find her on Twitter: @JournalismSandy.