For the last 30 years Pat and Erv Pfeiffer have fostered and adopted 15 children. From a very young age, nine different children with special needs have joined their family permanently.  Most of them are grown now, but four continue to live at home. This is the inspiration they need to stay active at The Pointe. “We have to stay in the best shape we can, because our four children with special needs are going to be at home with us for a long time. We need to take care of ourselves so we can take care of them,” said Pat.

It started when their biological daughter left for college, and Pat felt lost at home alone. “I didn’t know what I was going to do with myself, so when we saw an announcement in our church bulletin for an organization seeking foster families we immediately got involved,” she said.

Eventually a rare problem occurred when there were more foster parents than children who needed homes at this small organization called Bethany. This is when Pat called the St. Louis City Division of Family Services to see if she could continue helping through another agency. Within twenty minutes they had their first foster child; the need was obviously great.

Both Erv and Pat were born here in St. Louis. Erv worked at Missouri Pacific/Union Pacific for 38 years in accounting.  He retired early so they could work with more kids. “Erv does all the bills and paperwork for our children as well as the cooking and shopping. He wasn’t really retired, but I’ve always been a terrible cook, so I couldn’t help out that way,” joked Pat. “I’ve always been in charge of crowd control.”

Pat has been coming to The Pointe faithfully now for three years every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with her sister to  work out in the pool. The Pfeiffers had a family membership years ago when all the kids were at home. “We would come up here as a family and play basketball, walk or swim,” Erv said. Just a few months ago they purchased a family membership so they could once again use the facility as a family.

“Sometimes I walk a little, but the pool is by far my favorite thing about The Pointe. The water movement is low impact and invigorating and we’ve had fun meeting new people while swimming,” Pat said. “We’re so grateful for The Pointe, our kids have always been included here.”

Other activities the family enjoys include a Friendship Class every week which is for special needs adults and caregivers,  bargain hunting at resale shops, being involved in a senior group at their church, and Erv enjoys working in his garage.

Congratulations to the Pfeiffers on being named September’s Member of the Month at The Pointe. We’re honored to be your fitness center home and are thankful for all you’ve done for your children and this community.

Know someone who deserves the title “Member of the Month?” Submit a nomination with a short reason why they deserve the award by emailing Kirsten.

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