Kane couple Rae El and Danyelle Whitman didn’t set out to be trailblazers.

The women wanted children, and knew there were a lot of children out there who needed a home.

“We decided we might be able to provide a safe and happy environment to them,” Rae El Whitman said. They went through the process to become foster parents through McKean County Children and Youth Services.

Little did they realize they would become foster parents, then adopted parents, to a pair of blessings.

Rae El Whitman, a school teacher, and her wife, Danyelle Whitman, a fitness instructor, beam with love when they describe their lives with Inley and Tagelynn — gorgeous little girls with wild, curly hair and mischievous grins.

At Thursday’s McKean County foster parent appreciation dinner at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, the couple spoke to The Era about their experiencing fostering and adopting the girls.

“We got them when they were three days old,” Danyelle Whitman said.

“It was three hours from the time CYS called us until they were in our care,” Rae El Whitman said.

Marcy Flickinger, foster care and adoption supervisor, called the couple, asking them to take the twins.

“CYS was really good about giving us a list of what we would need in general,” Rae El Whitman explained. “They gave us a $150 voucher and a list of what we needed to go pick up at Walmart. While they were getting the kiddos from the hospital, that’s what we were doing, going to Walmart.”

Her wife agreed, “We had the basics. One crib. We had one of most things.”

“At first it was a true shock for me. I was trying to figure out over a couple of days when I was going to sleep, when I was going to take care of them,” Rae El Whitman said.

With a laugh, her wife said, “I do better with a lack of sleep than she does.”

The twins didn’t sleep through the night until more recently, Danyelle Whitman said.

When they learned of the option to adopt the twins, the couple was excited, but a little concerned at the same time.

“We didn’t know of any other same-sex couples who had adopted through CYS,” Rae El Whitman said. “I feel as though we were groundbreaking for McKean County in a way. It’s not something you hear about in small towns.”

It was important to stay positive, Danyelle Whitman said. “You hope everyone’s open minded.”

Rae El Whitman said going to court was bit intimidating, as they knew Judge John Pavlock would be the one to decide if Inley and Tagelynn would be theirs.

“When we showed up that day, Judge Pavlock got choked up on the stand,” she said. “That was one of the most moving moments in my life. It was like he was overjoyed to be able to give us that moment.”

Word spread fast in the Kane community, but not in a negative way. Co-workers brought food, clothing, diapers. Community members reached out, too.

It’s true that it takes a community to raise a child, Rae El Whitman added.

Danyelle Whitman said the two may take in more foster children when their twins are older.

“I feel like we’ll just kind of know when it’s time,” she said.

“When it feels right to us is when we’d open up our home to another child if the opportunity presents itself,” Rae El Whitman said.

To others considering going through the process to become foster parents, the couple said it can be tough at times, but it’s incredibly rewarding.

“As long as you’re in it to make sure that kiddo is going to have the best experience possible,” Rae El Whitman said, “it’s one of the most rewarding things you can do in life.”

Also at the dinner, Kelly Compton, foster parent and director of curriculum and instruction at Bradford Area School District, talked about the roads she had traveled in her life, the different paths she explored while looking for her calling. She found it in motherhood through the foster care system.

“My one wish would be to teach people the lessons I have learned,” she said. “As foster parents, you have each been called to do some difficult work.”

You can’t go into it thinking you are the savior; you can’t do it on your own, Compton said.

“You have to know you are going to fail,” she said with a laugh. “My mantra is to fail fast and fail often.”

Flickinger and Lisa Johnston, foster care coordinator, handed out certificates to the foster parents in attendance, acknowledging them for their months or years of service to children in the county.

A host of prizes, donated by businesses throughout the county, were handed out to the parents as well.