"I always wanted brothers:" Packers WR Ty Montgomery's mother has raised 17 foster children

MILWAUKEE -- Green Bay Packers wide receiver Ty Montgomery was an only child growing up. That is, until third grade, when he told his mom he wanted brothers. Since then, his mother has served as a foster parent for 17 children.

In Milwaukee on May 25th, some kids were trying their best to reach the top of a rock wall -- and they were getting plenty of support. They were reaching for the top in much the same way Montgomery reaches for the top in his career with the Packers, and he's had plenty of support as well -- especially from his mother, Lisa.

Ty Montgomery

"I grew up an only child, so I'm biologically hers and I always wanted siblings. I always wanted brothers. That's how she got into (foster parenting) -- and from there on, it just took off. One brother turning into 17," Montgomery said.

Sixteen of Lisa Montgomery's foster parents have been boys.

Lisa Montgomery

"From my very first, Lee to my very last, Raymond -- 17 in total," Lisa Montgomery said.

It wasn't something Lisa planned.

"I think it ended up being a lot of kids because I refused to break up the family, in all honesty," Lisa Montgomery said.

So with 17 boys total, sports became a main part of the family's everyday life.

Lisa Montgomery

Lisa Montgomery

"With Ty playing football, Eddie playing basketball, Lee doing football and wrestling, Michael doing track, Kenneth doing track, it was always something going on. We had every sport," Lisa Montgomery said.

"It's definitely made us very competitive. One thing we did a lot was play basketball. We played basketball a ton. We ended up getting boxing gloves and we boxed each other sometimes. It was just so much fun, very competitive," Ty Montgomery said.

Now, Ty and Lisa are teaming up with the "Coalition of Children, Youth and Families" to recruit others to become foster parents.

"We are seeing a significant uptick in the number of kids and it's concerning because now we are having more kids and kind of still needing to recruit more foster parents," Oriana Carey, CEO of the Coalition of Children, Youth and Families said.

"The good part about it is if you have a heart and if you want to love and have the love, take a kid," Lisa Montgomery said.

"I think you have to understand that these kids -- they come from situations they were sort of forced into. It's not really their fault. You got to be a little patient with them and try to understand where they are coming from, and eventually you'll take off the foster and you just become a parent, and that's all it is -- just wanting to love," Ty Montgomery said.

That is seconded by other foster parents.

"Being a part of their lives, helping them out when they need help, teaching them things that they don't know, loving them," Jasmine, a foster parent said.

That brings us back to the rock wall.

"The rock wall is about those goals and dreams -- kids getting stuck halfway and needing people to help them on their way, and often foster families help children and families on their way," Carey said.

While Ty Montgomery wasn't a foster child, he said he believes he's living his dreams because of his family.

"They were a lot of my encouragement to play football and to continue to do it and play in the NFL and keep working hard and they kept me focused a lot of the time. My first touchdown I scored, the first thing I thought about was all my foster brothers and when I talked to them they were all so proud if me," Ty Montgomery said.

Lisa Montgomery says the whole family still gets together for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas -- and especially for her birthday.

CLICK HERE to learn more about becoming a foster parent.