It’s been said that any man can be a father, but it takes a special person to be a dad. By that definition, Mark Schisler of Galloway, a financial analyst at Trump Taj Mahal, is one special fellow.

Schisler and his wife, Christina, have adopted four foster children and expect to finalize the adoption of a fifth by year’s end. All are girls, ranging from one to seven. All are happy, healthy and cherished. The oldest is African-American, three are Hispanic, and one is of Asian descent.

So how’s life in the Schisler house? “Every day is an adventure,” Schisler says. “The girls are a joy at times, and at times they drive you crazy. But I can’t imagine what it would be like to not have them now.”

A Toms River native, Schisler originally studied restaurant management, but a year of working 15-hour days at a local eatery convinced him it was the wrong line of work. So he took a slot cashier’s position at the Taj, “just to get my foot in the door.” The strategy worked. Six months later, then-VP of Finance Patrick O’Malley cleared the path to a job in financial operations. Schisler soon ascended to financial analyst.

Meantime, the Schislers, who were unable to have kids of their own, began talking adoption. One day, they saw a sign at a healthcare center near their home: “Foster parents needed.”

“We said, ‘It’s a message from God,’” Schisler recalls. “We knew it was time.”

The couple underwent nine months of rigorous inspections and 27 hours of classes before they were approved to be foster parents. In May 2002, their first child, a nine-month-old girl, arrived. She was followed, two months later, by a newborn. Having two babies in such a short span “was a total shock to us,” Schisler says. “The five-day-old was so fragile, I was scared to hold her.”

But he quickly got over his apprehension, and the family grew. In the next two years, the Schislers took in two more babies, and in August 2007, brought home the last of the girls.

It’s a unique family situation, and Schisler is grateful to his employers for their support. “If something comes up, my bosses are very flexible,” he says. “I appreciate everything the Taj has done for us.”

He is especially thankful to Director of Finance Jim Wright for his understanding. And when riding therapy was recommended for the Schislers’ autistic daughter, Taj General Manager Rosalind Krause donated six months of treatment at the Atlantic Riding Center for the Handicapped (ARCH). The treatment has worked, Schisler says. The child’s motor skills “have increased unbelievably. When she started, she didn’t even walk.”

Though Mark and Christina have welcomed the last of the girls, it may not be the last of the family.

“I still want a boy,” Schisler says. “Luckily, we learned that, when you add another, there’s really not that much more to do.”

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