DTFA - The Marris Family - James DeCamp Photography

This is the sixth in a series of assignments that I had for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. This was a very meaningful project for me, as I too was adopted, but I had found a forever family when I was only months old. Many of the children I documented in this series were not so fortunate, spending years in a system that passed them from one home to another until DTFA stepped in and helped them find a stable home life and loving forever family.

Thomas and Virginia Marris had always longed for a child, but hadn’t been able to have one of their own. After several years with no luck, they saw a Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption booth at a local event.

We have a strong faith, and we trusted that God would give us a child. When we saw the Foundation there, we thought maybe this is where He wants us to be,” Thomas recalls. “We signed up that day.” Not long after that, the Marrises met the girl who would become their daughter: 10-year-old Kassandra. They felt an immediate connection. Then they learned Kassandra had two younger brothers. “We were looking for one child,” Thomas says. “We got three. It all happened so fast. It was tough at first, going from zero to three. But we figured it out.”

Even though the children are grown now, the family is still close. Thomas and Virginia feel lucky to have seen them grow up, graduate high school and attend college. And Kassandra has blessed them with a grandbaby.
“Looking back, we did spoil them a bit. We always just wanted them to be happy.”

“When you adopt a child, you find a love that was never there before. It’s unconditional.” – Thomas Marris