Hold on! This might make your head spin!!!
Zackey family featured on Local Television
Posted 6/6/2007
The local television station, WIVB TV4, featured a story on the Zackey family. Below is a link to the video and a transcript.
Story with Video
Large Family Tries to Make World Better Place
(June 2, 2007)
The next time you feel overwhelmed with the daily stress of family and work, think of this story. It's about a family of 17 children and their two parents who have opened their hearts and home to make this world a better place for others across the world. News 4's Victoria Hong has their incredible story.
Meet Tom and Candy Zackey, and their seventeen kids, nine birth children, eight African adopted children, plus an exchange student from Liberia.
Candy Zackey: "I have always wanted to adopt. It's just been a desire God just placed in my heart."
Victoria Hong: Did you ever imagine seventeen?
Candy Zackey: "No, I just wanted to adopt one little boy."
Initially, husband Tom was against the idea.
Tom Zackey: "We were having our own family. I had no desire to adopt children."
He had a change of heart after a banquet about the plight of orphans in Sierra Leone, and in 2004 they adopted two girls from West Africa.
Candy Zackey: "We're not a real loud rowdy group, but we just have lot fun together."
The children range in age from three to twenty-one. They share nine bedrooms and six baths, and all the chores, which is the key to Candy's sanity.
Candy Zackey: "I don't cook, I don't clean, I don't do laundry. I don't do most of the work of the house, unless I choose to."
Tom Zackey: "The kids do it."
Candy Zackey: "...because I've trained the children to do all that work."
Candy homeschools all the kids. Their school year ends in April, so all the boys and one of the girls can help Tom with his landscaping business.
As the master organizer, Candy's biggest challenge is...
"...adjusting to the amount of food we have to make."
So what about food?
They go through ten gallons of milk a week, fifty pounds of rice a month, and eight loaves of bread a day, which they make. Dinner never costs more than twenty dollars, total.
Once a month, they prepare as much food that can be stored in three refrigerators and one freezer.
And if that doesn't have your head spinning, this will.
Tom Zackey: "For the last two years, we have been working with three orphanages. Right now, me and my oldest son Jack are leaving in about three weeks. We are looking to build our own orphanage that will hold 750 children."
...in Liberia, West Africa, where they adopted six of their children.
Between the parents and oldest children, they spent 38 weeks over there last year. It's their life calling.
Tom Zackey: "We're busy, but it's not stressful busy, it's enjoyable busy."
Candy Zackey: "I couldn't imagine doing anything else."
Zackey family featured on Local Television
Posted 6/6/2007
The local television station, WIVB TV4, featured a story on the Zackey family. Below is a link to the video and a transcript.
Story with Video
Large Family Tries to Make World Better Place
(June 2, 2007)
The next time you feel overwhelmed with the daily stress of family and work, think of this story. It's about a family of 17 children and their two parents who have opened their hearts and home to make this world a better place for others across the world. News 4's Victoria Hong has their incredible story.
Meet Tom and Candy Zackey, and their seventeen kids, nine birth children, eight African adopted children, plus an exchange student from Liberia.
Candy Zackey: "I have always wanted to adopt. It's just been a desire God just placed in my heart."
Victoria Hong: Did you ever imagine seventeen?
Candy Zackey: "No, I just wanted to adopt one little boy."
Initially, husband Tom was against the idea.
Tom Zackey: "We were having our own family. I had no desire to adopt children."
He had a change of heart after a banquet about the plight of orphans in Sierra Leone, and in 2004 they adopted two girls from West Africa.
Candy Zackey: "We're not a real loud rowdy group, but we just have lot fun together."
The children range in age from three to twenty-one. They share nine bedrooms and six baths, and all the chores, which is the key to Candy's sanity.
Candy Zackey: "I don't cook, I don't clean, I don't do laundry. I don't do most of the work of the house, unless I choose to."
Tom Zackey: "The kids do it."
Candy Zackey: "...because I've trained the children to do all that work."
Candy homeschools all the kids. Their school year ends in April, so all the boys and one of the girls can help Tom with his landscaping business.
As the master organizer, Candy's biggest challenge is...
"...adjusting to the amount of food we have to make."
So what about food?
They go through ten gallons of milk a week, fifty pounds of rice a month, and eight loaves of bread a day, which they make. Dinner never costs more than twenty dollars, total.
Once a month, they prepare as much food that can be stored in three refrigerators and one freezer.
And if that doesn't have your head spinning, this will.
Tom Zackey: "For the last two years, we have been working with three orphanages. Right now, me and my oldest son Jack are leaving in about three weeks. We are looking to build our own orphanage that will hold 750 children."
...in Liberia, West Africa, where they adopted six of their children.
Between the parents and oldest children, they spent 38 weeks over there last year. It's their life calling.
Tom Zackey: "We're busy, but it's not stressful busy, it's enjoyable busy."
Candy Zackey: "I couldn't imagine doing anything else."
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