Every child deserves a safe and loving home where they can thrive and belong. Our impact stories detail the journey to stability for our community of children seeking pure-hearted caregivers. Our staff is committed to providing the right resources and support during crucial times throughout the foster and adoptive journey, and we like to document special moments of connection, placement, love, and resilience via our impact stories. Explore the foster or adoptive journey for many families below.
In September, 12-year-old Rayna, 4-year-old Jasmine, and 3-year-old Charlie entered foster care after their parents struggled to provide adequate supervision. They were initially placed in a foster home, and Joel, 30 Days to Family® Specialist, was assigned to the case.
Joel spoke with the children’s mother, who mentioned 10 relatives that Joel could investigate, including a maternal grandmother, Caprice. Joel discussed those family members with Rayna to see if she had any thoughts on where she would like to be placed. Rayna told him that she would like to be placed with Caprice because her older sister, 16-year-old Becca, lived there, and they spent most weekends there anyway.
Caprice did not hesitate to accept placement of Rayna, Jasmine, and Charlie. She was not only raising Becca, but she also raised two of their older brothers until they were old enough to live on their own. A walk-through of the home and thorough background checks were completed. The team spent some time considering Caprice’s capacity to care for three additional children. They decided it was in the children’s best interest to live with Caprice and their older sister. Joel advocated for Caprice to receive Urgent Needs Funding from the Coalition to purchase a fire extinguisher which is needed for foster parent licensure. Caprice lived in the same school district that Rayna attended, so there was continuity in Rayna’s education which is paramount in limiting the impact of trauma caused when children enter foster care. They were placed with Caprice within 22 days of coming into foster care.
Even though Joel found Caprice, he continued to look for more family. Caprice was worried Joel would find someone else to care for her grandchildren, and she would lose contact with them. Joel spent time building a relationship with Caprice to assure her he was trying to build up a network for her to have a 30 Days to Family®: Rayna, Jasmine & Charlie support system, as well as find potential backup options in case anything should happen to Caprice. She trusted Joel and provided information for family members Joel could contact. Joel’s list of relatives went from 6 at the beginning of the case to 150. He personally spoke to 20 family members; most of them lived close by and were eager to help.
Joel visited with Caprice, Rayna, Jasmine, Charlie, and Becca in December. He dropped off Christmas gifts for them: art supplies and a big sack of toys. The children seemed happy and loved. Joel could tell they were right where they needed to be.