A spirit of brotherhood can be felt in the big white house on the corner, known as “The Frat House.” This is where Bradley has provided foster care for a total of six boys during the past six years.
Bradley first considered becoming a foster parent after seeing the 2009 movie “The Blind Side.” The film tells the story of a homeless teenager named Michael Oher, who was taken in by a loving family and went on to graduate high school and earn a college football scholarship. He later played for the Baltimore Ravens and Carolina Panthers.
“I thought it was great that this family helped a young man realize his dreams,” said Bradley, 34, a field engineer with General Dynamics. “It made me think, ‘Wow, what am I doing to help.’ I figured I should do something.”
So Bradley, working with Building Families for Children, a faith-based non-profit, turned his one-person domicile into an action-packed sanctuary for at-risk teenagers who he helps mentor into becoming responsible young adults.
“You treat them like your flesh and blood,” he said.
Tim, 22, has been Bradley’s foster son since 2011. “I call him Dad,” Tim said. “He taught me to be a man …. He also makes sure that we keep the house clean and that everybody keeps busy. There is no sitting around doing nothing.”
At Bradley’s house, like at a fraternity house, there’s plenty of action. They play together, eat together, study together and work together.
In October, they cried together. One of Bradley’s four sons, Devonte, 22, a strong-willed dynamo with an infectious smile, died after a lifetime battle with sickle cell anemia. He had been in a number of foster homes before ending up with Bradley four years ago.
Like Tim, Devonte aged out of foster care at 21. But he and Tim remained at “The Frat House” so that they could save money and eventually afford to get an apartment of their own.
A high school graduate with a degree as a certified nursing assistant, Devonte had worked at a daycare center and as a security guard. Two years ago, he won the annual “youth achievement award” from the Maryland Association of Resources for Family and Youth.
As Devonte lay in his hospital bed near death, his foster brothers prayed. Bradley stood with a chaplain and said, “You’re my son. You’ll always be my son. We love you.”
Afterward, Lindsey Reep, Devonte’s caseworker at Building Families, said, “Devonte refused to allow his illness to define his life. Devonte loved life. He and Bradley were a perfect fit.”
Reep, the first to dub Bradley’s house, “The Frat House,” said, “Those who live there embody brotherhood. They are all brothers.”