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When Lamont Thomas,a retired restaurant employee,became an empty-nester,it was the end of a parenting story.
A couple years ago,the divorced father of two became a hero when he took on a kid named Michael Perez in 2008.
"He was a good young man and I just hated to see him in the welfare system," Thomas said.
Thomas eventually adopted Perez,who now works as a nurse.
Perez was just the beginning.Over the next 15 years,Thomas raised more than 30 kids.He did so all as a single parent and with all of his heart.
"With every child that I have had,it was my goal to make a difference in their lives," he said.
When he retired from raising children to spend time fishing and travelling,that didn't last for long.
"It was really a shocker," Perez said."I didn't expect for him to restart and to do it all over again."
Thomas began to foster again when he found out that five brothers and sisters all under the age of 6 were going to be forever broken up.To guarantee they remained a family,he adopted all of them too.
"I had to help them.They deserved to be raised together," Thomas said.
After Thomas' story first aired,CBS News received a lot of surprising mails from women who expressed interest in the great man.Some notes weren't obvious,others were braver,"Ask Mr.Thomas if he would like a pen pal," wrote one woman,while another said,"I'll marry Lamont!"
But the kids see no room for romance,nor does Thomas.
"I was about to change my phone number," he said.
So he remains single.He spends Thanksgiving with family and is more grateful than ever.