GUTHRIE, Okla. (KFOR) – A few weeks ago, KFOR surprised Tonay Ratcliff to let her know she was not only a finalist for the Remarkable Women contest but the winner for the state of Oklahoma! She has worked in the nonprofit world for the past two decades; she's an advocate for foster care and mental health, but her most rewarding job is being a mom! Things can get hectic inside Tonya Ratcliff’s home, especially during lunchtime. She likes to call it “beautiful chaos.
”But it is chaos only a large family can appreciate.Ratcliff and her husband, Travis, said they always wanted a family.“Family is very important,” said Ratcliff.
She has two biological children, but over the years, that number expanded by a dozen.Remarkable Women: Foundation helps single parents after founders own life experienceTonya Ratcliff (KFOR)"We have 12 that are children through the gift of adoption, so two born from my body and 12 born from our hearts," said Ratcliff.She opened her heart and her home as a foster mother after a shift at her job placed her inside the NICU at a metro hospital.
"This is actually where I met my son," said Ratcliff. "Unfortunately, his mom had left, and he was there. He didn't have a home.
He needed a foster care placement."Remarkable Women: Tuttle’s Donna McKinney leads Special Olympics programA few months and a lot of prayers later, the Ratcliff’s adopted the baby boy, which ignited her family’s foster care journey."The floodgates continued to open, and we answe.