ARLEE — Making a difference in the community and in the lives of children can be one of the most important and rewarding experiences a family can have. For a couple in Arlee, two and a half weeks ago it became an awarding experience as well.

The Department of Public Health and Human Services honored Roberta and TJ Haynes for their dedication in preventing child neglect as one of two Resource Parents of the Year at the Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect Conference on Tuesday, April 17.

“Today we honor those who have worked so hard to prevent child abuse and neglect,” DPHHS director Anna Whiting Sorrell said. “I am so proud of all the extra effort put forth by these outstanding individuals.”

That effort began 11 years ago for the Haynes family when Roberta was working at St. Ignatius Elementary School with an 8-year-old child who lost both parents in a nine-month span.

“I made a call to social services and they didn’t know what would happen to him,” Roberta Haynes said. “I asked if I could take him. I went and got licensed. Later, they asked if I could take his little brother and it snowballed from there.”

The siblings were the first of 10 children to come through the Haynes’ home over the last 11 years. Now 19, the first of the children Roberta and TJ took in has graduated high school and is tackling the world himself.

“He’s a great kid,” Haynes said. “We were young parents and didn’t know what we were doing, but he turned out OK. He’s a good kid and has overcome a lot of obstacles.”

The young parents have also turned out OK, doing a commendable job supporting children in need in the area through their tireless efforts.

“We strive for reunification and want to see the children with their parents,” Haynes said. “Sometimes that doesn’t work.

“We enjoy giving them a safe place with loving parents,” Haynes added.

The Haynes’ have had the help of family and friends through the years, something they’ve cherished over the last decade.

“We definitely couldn’t do it without the support of the Arlee community,” Haynes said. “My husband’s family lives next door and Grandma’s there at our beck and call. We couldn’t do it if it were just TJ and me. Everybody has been great.”

Because of that support, the Haynes’ were honored by the DPHHS, but to them, it’s not about accolades.

“To me, it’s no big deal,” Haynes said. “This is what we do, it’s what we have done forever and it’s what we will do forever. It’s our responsibility as humans to take care of these kids.”

In the grand scheme of things, the award may be no big deal, but it is definitely well-deserved and the impact that the Haynes family has had on the lives of area children is most certainly honorable.