James Solarek and his wife have been heavily involved with foster care affairs since 2012. In 2019, they launched Michiana Family Center, a nonprofit dedicated to providing assistance and support to foster children and adoptive families. Solarek serves as the organization’s director of operations.
From Indianapolis, Indiana, Solarek came up in a pastor’s home. The values of Christianity were regularly distributed, and he went to a smaller Christian private school. He got his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Maranatha Baptist University in Wisconsin. His focus was on religious studies.
A mission trip to Mexico in 2011 inspired Solarek to explore the foster care system. While there, he kept hearing messages that he and those whom he was with were blessed to be blessings, coming from a country such as the U.S. He proceeded to reflect on his experiences once he returned home, resolving he was ready to sign himself and his wife up to be foster parents.
Quickly thereafter, the Solarek family grew in size – they went from a family of two to one of six. Way back when the couple met, it was as if their hearts became one toward the same purpose. Adopting and fostering have combined to form this shared calling.
“There’s definitely a calling. The Bible, in the Book of James, says that true religion is to care for orphans and widows,” Solarek said. “When I first met my wife, she had a heart for orphans. I would say my heart for them came along later after seeing her and getting to meet our kids.”
At the Michiana Family Center, Solarek offers aid and relief to foster, adoptive, and kinship families. He is slightly behind the scenes in the grand scheme of things, tending to the computers to take care of the arguably not-so-thrilling aspects of the job, like how to keep his operation funded and otherwise financially backed. That’s not to say he’s away from the action, and he does take initiative by reeling in the big ideas in order to best approach feasibly making them realities. He and his wife unite in organization management.
“My wife runs the big-dream division. We rally behind her vision and dreams,” he said. “I’m the guy who asks, ‘Okay, what are the 10 steps we need to take to make things happen?’ We work really well together.”
According to Solarek, over 1,300 kids in Michiana are in foster care. He hopes to see more homes opening their doors for struggling adoptees seeking shelter, both literally and figuratively. Solarek makes matters easier for potential donors to contribute to the cause by talking and working with local churches, chambers of commerce, and the Lions Club.
“We spread awareness, recruit volunteers, recruit people – we’re the spoke in the wheel that makes connections between all of these different resources,” he said. “We know the person who can help you get furniture when you get a new family, and we know where you can go to get help with food.”
To keep himself balanced outside of work while staying informed and on his toes, Solarek maintains his mental health with such activities as seeing a counselor and writing out summaries and plans in a five-year journal. He’ll remain disciplined and relaxed by establishing goals, following podcasts, and picking up books he’s been wanting to read.
Spending time with family is critical to Solarek’s well-being. The bunch of them like sports. On the side, he even helps coach local basketball. He relishes watching his kids succeed and enjoy themselves. He’s taken vacations to places like Niagara Falls and New York City in the past.
The family lives in Edwardsburg, Michigan, about 30 minutes outside of South Bend. For them it’s the people who most impact their perceptions of the area in which their small town is located. Arranging larger get-togethers with friends in the area is no problem for the Solareks. They’ve thought they might move someplace else, but something’s called back continually.
“It’s not about the snow or the cold weather; it’s really the people. Many of the relationships are so strong you don’t have a hard time getting through making the kids’ graduation-party lists,” he said. “We’ve thought for years we’d maybe go somewhere warmer, but every time we’re like, ‘No, this is where we need to be for now; our kids love it, and we do too.’ It's just the people.”
Solarek said the Michiana Family Center constantly seeks out more volunteers and donations. Additional relevant information can be found at michianafamilycenter.org.