Kids Are Waiting | Voices | Personal Stories

All Children Deserve Love, Support & Opportunities to Thrive December 11, 2008
Tess Thomas has devoted her life to providing some of Washington State’s most at-risk youth with love, support and guidance. “I was raised in a family of ten children, and my experiences in such a big, loving family are a main motivator for my work with children and young people,” said Tess. “I experienced some very lean days as a child, but my childhood was rich with love and family. It is my desire to share the love and belonging of family that I experienced that keeps me doing what I do every day.” Tess spoke about her experiences as the founder and executive director at Thomas House during a Congressional reception commemorating passage of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act, and talked about the difference th is law will make in the lives of the children and young people she cares for.
What Adoption Has Meant to My Family December 04, 2008
Over the past twenty-two years, Dawn Curtis and her husband have adopted ten children from foster care; most have been sibling groups. While initially looking to adopt one child, Dawn and her husband fell in love with a little girl and her three brothers. "How would I go from being a mom of two to a mom of six - almost overnight?" she wondered. "Will we be able to provide financially for our new family and to provide them with the stability that they need?" Dawn speaks about the new Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions law, and how its inclusion of adoption incentives like those that helped her family will help others.
New Law Will Mean More Older Foster Youth Can Have Families Like Mine October 23, 2008
Andrew Klabo knows firsthand the powerful, positive difference a permanent family can make. He was adopted from North Dakota's foster care system at age ten. "My adoptive parents gave me the love and encouragement I needed," he says. "Because of their support, I know I can achieve anything I want to." Andrew talks about the difference that the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 - unanimously passed by Congress and recently signed into law by President Bush - will make for older youth in foster care in North Dakota and across the nation looking for permanent families.
Foster Youth Who "Age Out" are Forced to Become Adults Before They are Ready October 07, 2008
Shawn Semelsberger recalls aging out of Michigan's foster care system at 18, in the middle of her senior year in high school. While her classmates were worried about what college to apply to and attend, and looking forward to the prom and graduation, Shawn's life was consumed with concerns about how to exist day-to-day. "I had no safe place to live, no job, no family and no security," she recalled.
"Having a Family Means Someone Cares" September 26, 2008
Nineteen year old Andrew Crandall of Connecticut entered foster care at 11, and experienced four different placements over the course of the past eight years. He and his most recent foster family - with whom he has lived for the past six years - have recently started the adoption process. "My foster parents have been there for me every step of the way, and have played an active role in my life," Andrew says.
Leaving Foster Care on His Own September 17, 2008
Christopher Andrade entered California's foster care system at three months old, and aged out at age 18. He details the challenges - big and small - of life on your own. "The things that other young people with families take for granted are harder to do when you are on your own," he says. "When I get sick, I don't have anyone to ask for advice - I just have to go on WebMd."
Foster Youth Need Permanent Families and Connections September 10, 2008
Twenty-five year old Nicole Dobbins aged out of Oregon's foster care system at age 18, with no family to rely on and no home to return to. "I was a high school graduate, college-bound and homeless. I had nowhere to live, and no one to turn to," she recalls. Because of her experiences, Nicole is committed to changing the foster care system, "so that my brothers and sisters don't have to face the same difficult transition, or worse."
Aging Out Without a Family September 03, 2008
Sharde Armstrong entered Indiana's foster care system along with her six brothers and sisters. While in the system, she lost touch with her siblings, experienced multiple moves, and eventually "aged out" of foster care without a permanent home to return to, or a family to rely on. As a recent graduate of Taylor University, Sharde recalls the difficulty of entering college and experiencing the annual ritual of Parents Weekend without parents to attend, to celebrate her accomplishments, and to share in her challenges.
Foster Youth Need Someone to Count On August 11, 2008
"Having my grandmother and siblings was the only thing that kept me going," says Nicole Demedenko, recalling her time in foster care. With the love and guidance of her grandmother, Nicole graduated from high school and college and is currently working towards her master's degree. Because of the vital role her grandmother provided, she knows first-hand the importance of having someone to rely on and turn to for advice and support.
A Tale of Two Brothers August 05, 2008
Georgia born Anthony Reeves and his brother were placed in foster care shortly after Anthony's fifth birthday. They both experienced multiple placements, and were separated from one another; at one point, living just minutes away from each other, but unaware of this until years later. Anthony and his brother both aged out of foster care, but have experienced radically different outcomes.
Forging the Bonds of a Forever Family July 16, 2008
Massachusetts mother Kim Stevens and her husband had two children, ages two and eight, when they first considered adoption from foster care. While they originally envisioned adopting a little girl, they eventually became the adoptive parents of a 16 year old boy, five and six year old sisters, and a two and a half year old toddler.
Creating and Sustaining Permanent Families July 01, 2008
Sheri Babcock and her husband Bud became licensed foster parents two decades ago. Parents of two biological children, they eventually adopted nine more children from foster care. In caring for their family and meeting the varied needs of their children, Sheri and Bud wanted to focus "not just on helping them grow but thrive and develop into productive adults. We wanted to make sure that our kids could and would succeed."
Adopting Older Foster Youth June 21, 2008
Craig and Becky Barrus of Trout Creek, Montana, have been foster parents for more than a dozen years. Over time, they have determined to provide the youth in their care - mostly older teenaged boys who have moved from foster placement to foster placement and experienced the instability and uncertainty of long-term foster care - permanence, by offering to adopt them.
Adoption assistance helps families succeed June 17, 2008
As an adoptive mother of three young children from Michigan's foster care system and as operations manager at the Foster Adoptive Family Resource and Support Center, Kim Harris knows firsthand - both personally and professionally - the vital role that supports and services can play in creating and sustaining permanent, loving families, and ensuring that children can grow and thrive.
All Children and Young People Need and Deserve Permanence May 23, 2008
On Tuesday, May 20, Jackie Hammers of Iowa spoke at an event on Capitol Hill about her experiences in the foster care system. Jackie aged out of foster care without finding a permanent family, and spoke about the importance of permanence for all children and young people. More here
Finding a Permanent Family through Adoption May 19, 2008
When Casey, now 16, was placed in Karen Leighton's home, she was nine years old and it was her eighth foster care placement since entering the system at age seven. Read more here
I Just Wanted to be Able to Say I Had a Dad May 07, 2008
I Just Wanted to be Able to Say I Had a Dad. Schylar Canfield aged out of Montana's foster care system, but has found the permanent family that he longed for. More here
Relative caregivers help children stay connected to community and culture April 17, 2008
JoJo entered California's foster care system when she was eight years old. Her foster mother was great, and made JoJo feel loved and wanted, but JoJo missed out on the traditions and culture of her Mexican and Filipino heritage. "In school, I dreaded the assignment of making your family tree," she recalls. "Except for my mom and sisters, I didn't know any of my relatives."
My Grandmother Has Always Been There for Me April 04, 2008
Twenty-three year old Janay Swain is an accomplished young woman. A graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in social work and an intern with the California Kinship Support Services Program in Sacramento, she “has a passion for working with grandparents and relatives who are struggling to raise children.” Her dedication to assist relative caregivers is a direct result of her experiences with her own grandmother.
Leaving Foster Care With the Help of Relatives April 01, 2008
Rob Johnson and his two sisters were able to exit foster care when their aunt became their guardian
Guardianships help children leave foster care March 31, 2008
JJ Hitch and his younger siblings were able to remain together and be adopted by their grandparents, but JJ passionately describes the struggles and challenges they faced in accessing the supports, services and financial assistance they needed and makes the case for foster care reforms that would support relative caregivers...
It's About My Whole Life March 18, 2008
At 12, Mary entered Tennessee's foster care system. She was in care for more than four years before anyone in authority asked her what she wanted. "I want what everyone wants - I want a family of my own," she told a judge.
Finding a Forever Family and Unconditional Love March 12, 2008
Aaron Weaver spent six years in Nebraska's foster care system, exiting to live permanently with a loving, adoptive family. "I am fortunate, because I was adopted by the same family that allowed me to finally lock my fears away and upgrade my suitcase; fortunate because my nomadic childhood ended, because I knew even before being adopted that this family and I shared an unconditional love," he says. Aaron's story makes a powerful case for reform, and underscores the need for all children and youth in foster care to have safe, permanent, loving families. More here.
An Adoptive Mother's Story March 06, 2008
Pam Bolke and her husband Tom adopted three children, all siblings, from foster care. All have special needs, and Pam is committed to ensuring that they can access the supports and services they need to grow and thrive. "I am willing to do whatever it takes to care for my children," she says. "But I know now I can't do it alone."
Foster Children Need Permanent Families February 22, 2008
Sherena Johnson spent eight years in Georgia's foster care system. However, unlike thousands of foster children, she did not experience the instability of multiple placements. Living with her aunt, Sherena remained in the same neighborhood, stayed in the same school and was able to keep her friends....
What Might Have Been January 31, 2008
Jennifer shares the story of what might have been had her mother received the drug treatment counseling she needed. Instead, Jennifer and her siblings ended up in foster care.
A reunification success story from Maryland January 19, 2008
Because of Kelly Cate's addiction to drugs, her children were placed in foster care with her parents for three years. Learn how the right services and a caring case worker helped the children return home safely.
You don't age out of family (NC) January 18, 2008
After 11 years in foster care in North Carolina, Julia was adopted at age 23, when her last foster mother asked her to join her family forever.