Voices of Foster Youth & Adoptive Parents

Emma, her siblings, and their adoptive parents tell the story of how their life paths came together as a foster-to-adoption forever family. For years, these close siblings experienced abuse and neglect by their father and neglect by their mom before, finally, one of them told a biological grandparent. With the Kansas Department for Children and Families support, a newly licensed couple took the bold leap to take the kids into foster care. They describe some of their experience becoming a family by heart before the kids became eligible for adoption and they became a legal family of six. 

Daniel delivers a powerful message for all foster kids to maintain hope and know they can eventually write their own stories.  He describes years of neglect before he was left on his own and entered foster care at age 7.  He tells of a life-saving surgery at age 11 and the pain of learning that his biological mother didn't want to keep him.  After living with the same foster family for years, he was legally adopted at the age of 14.  Daniel describes his plans to join the Army and earn his wings, with gratitude for the foster parent who took him in and nurtured his growth. 

Josh and Diana tell their story about family, faith, foster care, and adoption.  While they always felt a calling to adopt a child, they decided to foster children; eventually, ten different kids over time.  They adopted four children and cared for kids of various ages, including those under six years and a teenager.  A surprise even to them, they fostered her as an older teen, helped her find focus, graduate from high school with honors, and earn her college admission.  

Royce and his brother entered foster care when he was two years old. They returned to their mother for several tumultuous years before re-entering foster care due to his mother's ongoing addiction and abuse. At that time, Royce was 14. He tells his story of moving in and out of several foster homes, never knowing what would happen or when they would have to switch schools again. As a foster child, he didn't understand why nobody wanted them. Finally, he and his brother were taken in by a friend's grandparents and became "their boys." Royce has a passion for writing and continues to tell his story through a blog, including why foster care is not a regular place for a child to grow up.
 

JJ and his siblings were neglected as children and left without food, water, or proper clothing. At age 11, JJ worked to provide food and clothing. He tells the story of their hardship and heartache from a home of neglect to the fear and trauma of being removed from the life they knew when his school contacted the Department of Social Services (DSS). JJ and his siblings were moved six times within six months. He and his adoptive mom wrap up the story as she describes her calling to this foster-to-adoption journey, including one with older kids.  

Several foster teens share their experiences in the foster care system, being eligible for adoption, and the outcomes for themselves and sometimes their siblings. Experiences include foster-to-adoption with a forever family to aging out of foster care on their own: 

Julius shares the challenging emotions he felt during his experience in the foster care system, along with his fears about having to leave foster care without a forever family. 

Amanda speaks about her difficulty trusting people and her fears about being forced out of the system with a support structure. Her caseworker gave her hope, and she wants to pay that forward to help other kids by telling her story. 

Adrian explains how he came to age out of foster care. He speaks candidly about the difficulty of being left alone to transition and manage adult responsibilities without a role model or adult support.  

Nancy shares her fears about living on the streets after aging out of foster care. She was excited about the opportunity to be adopted by a family but admitted to testing them to see if they would truly stay as her forever family.

Renee speaks about her fear of being adopted while she was in foster care and the challenges she had trying to make it on her own after aging out of the foster care system. She describes how she navigated some of the issues without the support of an adult and ultimately recommends adoption, so kids have long-term stability and support they can count on.  

Lacey opens up about her foster-to-adopt and sibling story, hoping that other kids in a tough place might keep hope for their futures. With the support of her foster-to-adopt mom, she shares the problematic living conditions she and her siblings had with her quick-tempered dad, who was in and out of jail. Lacey and her sibling's situation worsened when they were abandoned by their dad with their biological grandmother and her boyfriend.

Lacey explains how her brother's physical abuse caught the attention of school officials, who called Child Protective Services (CPS). Lacey, her brother, and her sister entered the foster care system together. They could stay together with the foster family who took them in and eventually became their foster-to-adopt forever family.  

This fantastic couple grew their family by fostering and adopting several sibling groups. They introduce their biological son and their passion for helping sibling groups in foster care. As they share the heartwarming story of how each set of siblings entered their lives, they explain how they thought their family was complete before getting the next call. With every introduction, this mom and dad knew in their hearts the kids were meant to be part of their big forever family.