Cindy Parker became a mom at 18, and the nurturing, supportive encouragement she used in raising her six children now extends to her five grandchildren.

But Parker’s motherly ways don’t stop there.

“Me and half the kids in Butler, we agree she is a very special mother,“ said Parker’s youngest child, Grace Schantz, 16. “She has been a mother figure to half of Butler City.”

Parker explained that while she has had two official foster children, numerous teens have found refuge at her place for however long they needed to be there.

“I’ve had a lot of kids who were struggling at home or were between homes who have stayed with us for periods of time,” she said. “I’ve always had the philosophy that if they’re at my house, they’re safe.”

One of Parker’s official foster sons came to live at her home in fourth grade and stayed intermittently through the years.

The other foster son stayed with Parker while on juvenile probation.

“That is something I would definitely do again,” she said. “I think they are better off in a home than in lockup somewhere.”

That foster son, Ethan Andre, who is now a high school senior, said Parker’s home was his favorite in the system.

“A lot of times (with foster homes), it’s like you’re visiting,” Ethan said. Not so with Parker. “She treated me like her own kid,” he said.

Ethan said Parker also helped him make many important decisions, including going to college after graduation this year.

“I love her,” Ethan said. “She’s always been there like a mother figure. Even though I’m not in her custody, she still helps me and does a lot for me.”

Parker, a 1986 Knoch High School graduate, said she still enjoys good relationships with all the official and unofficial foster kids she’s hosted, even if they are grown.

“I hope that I’ve imparted wisdom; they’ve all seemed to turn out pretty well in their adult lives,” she said.

Parker agrees that not everyone would take in troubled, unsupervised teens, but said she does so for one reason: “They matter.”

“Certain circumstances come into play (in teens’ families,) and kids shouldn’t have to pay for that,” she said. ”They need somebody to step up and be there for them.”

When Parker turned 50, she lamented to her son that she never had a full-time job or career. She told him, “I dont feel like I have anything to show for the years.”

“He said, ‘You have got to be kidding me. You raised six children, and you’ve impacted a lot of people’s lives,’” she recalled.

Many of those impacted by Parker grew up playing at Father Marinaro Park, including Parker’s oldest son Rob, who, she said, was frequently chased away from various downtown sidewalks and parking lots for skateboarding.

Rob and some of his young teenage friends went to a meeting on skateboarding at the former Dunbar Community Center, where they learned that officials were looking for someone to head up a community group to put up a skate park in the city.

“He said, ‘I told them you would do it,’” Parker recalled with a laugh. “‘You’re one of those moms who can do anything.’”

Under the weight of that vote of confidence, Parker took on the task.

City officials gave the group a tennis court to convert to a skate park, but Parker knew one element was missing in planning the venue.

“We met with the kids, had pizza and asked them what they wanted to see in the skate park,” Parker said.

She then had the “skaters” — many of whom considered her house their second home —describe their vision to an architect, who drew up plans.

The Father Marinaro Skate Park was built in 2002 after exhaustive volunteer fundraising by Parker and her team of volunteers.

“All of my kids and grandkids go there and work there,” Parker said. “My son, Andrew, painted the murals.”

Grace said many of her friends consider Parker their mother, as she was the one hauling the teens to and from gatherings, coming up with money for sports and activities, or having dinner on the table for anyone who was hungry.

“God gave me a great mom, because he knew I needed one,” Grace said.

She summed up the thoughts of all who have enjoyed the large and loving heart of Cindy Parker.

“She’s really just the missing piece everyone needs,” Grace said.