This is the thirteenth of an ongoing series of assignments that I had for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. This has been 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 have 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.

OUR CHILD IS PERFECT, EVEN WHEN HE ISN’T

By Sadie Marshall-Corley

Sadie and her husband, Cody, adopted their son, Latrell, through the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption’s Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program. The Corleys, who live in Louisiana, want to raise awareness about the importance of foster care adoption, and specifically, the critical need to find permanent, loving homes for teenagers in foster care.

People often say that our son is ‘lucky’ to have us, but they could never understand that we are the ones who are truly lucky and blessed to have him.

My husband, Cody, and I had thought about adoption for a while. But adopting a teenager was never the plan, until it was. Cody is a middle school teacher and had a 14-year-old student named Latrell. Cody and Latrell formed a bond that extended from class to extracurricular activities. And it was during this time that Cody learned that Latrell was in foster care. Months later, I met Latrell.

Latrell spent eight years in foster care. He needed a family. Before we finished the certification process, Latrell was moved to Monroe, Louisiana, which was about two hours away. Frustrated, but not deterred, we pressed on. We exchanged phone numbers, became Facebook friends and traveled to Monroe to take Latrell to dinner so we could see him and continue getting to know him.

In October 2016, Latrell asked us if we were interested in adopting him. Prior to that, we had just been getting to know one another and hadn’t made any solid plans or promises. My heart almost burst when he asked that one question. It took a few more months, but Latrell moved into our home in February 2017.

During this process, Kerri Byrd, our Wendy’s Wonderful Kids recruiter, was our guardian angel. I can’t tell you how many times I called her crying. The process was slow, and I felt like it was robbing us of time with our son. He was already 15, and we had limited time before he’d be off to college or living on his own.

By December 2017, Latrell was officially a Corley. He says he is now “living his best life.” What a compliment from a now 17-year-old boy!
While Latrell was already a teenager when we met, his experiences had been so limited. It was heartbreaking at first, but we realized that it allowed us to experience a lot of the typical “firsts” with him that are often missed when an older child is adopted. We got to teach him how to drive and give him his own room for the first time in his life. We bought him his first plane ticket for his first trip out of state. We gave him his first dog, helped him secure his first job, and more. It has been an incredible journey.

The biggest change for Latrell has been his grades. When he came to us, he was nearly failing. Today, he has a 3.5 GPA. He is now confident. It has been more amazing than I have the words to describe watching him blossom and develop a sense of self.

To anyone considering foster care adoption, a teenager can bring out the most love and hope a person can have in their heart. We are so lucky to have met Latrell and be given the opportunity to bring him into our family. He is the light of our world, and we couldn’t imagine life without him in it.

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption’s Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program provides grants to adoption agencies to hire and train recruiters in our Child-Focused Recruitment Model to find loving, permanent homes for the nearly 155,000 children waiting in foster care across the United States and Canada. The model is up to three times more effective at serving youth who have been in foster care the longest.

Considering adoption?  Please check out this guide

Also, please prayerfully consider your financial support of this great organization.

This is the eleventh of an ongoing 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 have documented in this series have not been 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.

TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK

By Kameca Broom

Kameca and her husband, Jamar, adopted Elias and Niyah through the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption’s Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program. The Brooms, who live in Mississippi, hope that anyone considering foster care adoption sees it as a higher calling.

Adoption is choosing to love someone who you will teach how to love others unconditionally. My children are not biologically mine, but my heart doesn’t know the difference. I’ve always wanted to fill my home with children, and while we didn’t take the path that I originally thought, it’s taken us to an amazing place.

My husband, Jamar, and I first learned about foster care adoption from a high school friend who was working for the Mississippi State Department of Health. She opened my eyes to the great need for foster-to-adopt families. There was so much to learn and do to prepare our hearts and minds for bringing children into our home.

During our journey, we decided that we would be open to adopting more than one child. That’s when Elias and Niyah came into our lives. Just three and four years old at the time, they had spent three years of their young lives in foster care. We also met a woman who would change our adoption path for the better. Kenyata Wells, our Wendy’s Wonderful Kids recruiter, has helped us beyond what words could ever repay, from supporting us through each transition to being present at our adoption finalization.

Elias and Niyah lived with us for a little more than a year before the adoption was final. During that time, we grew together and learned from each other. So many challenges presented themselves as we started to become a family. We had to work hard to heal the behaviors that are expressed when a child has experienced significant trauma and inconsistency. We started a behavior chart and taught them self-control. They have both grown socially, mentally and physically.

If you are considering foster care adoption, follow your heart. I believe our adoption was heaven-sent and the most precious gift I’ve been given. Jamar and I always wanted to be parents, and we are so blessed that God found a way to help us find the children we were always meant to have.

It wasn’t all easy. In fact, most of it was hard. But it’s all been worth it to hear our little boy and girl say, “Mommy and Daddy, we want to stay with y’all forever, because we love y’all.”

At the end of the day, we all want what is best for each other. And as we say almost every day, “Teamwork makes the dream work! Team Broom!”

Considering adoption?  Please check out this guide

Also, please prayerfully consider your financial support of this great organization.

This is the eighth of an ongoing 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.

On a cold, clear November evening in 2015, Robbin and Steven Brydges climbed into a big white bus in the middle of a Walmart parking lot. It was here, in this unassuming locale, that they met their sons for the first time.

“I knew Dawson loved super heroes,” Robbin shares, “so I’d gotten a manicure with super hero icons on each finger, like Superman’s S and the Bat signal.” They hit it off right away. Over the next few months, Robbin and Steven made several more trips to Ohio to visit Dawson and his brother Dalton, and in May of 2016 brought the boys to their Jacksonville, Florida home for good.

Robbin and Steven hadn’t considered adopting two children. But when Rachel, a Wendy’s Wonderful Kids Recruiter, told them about Dawson and Dalton, they knew they had to keep the boys together. “Dalton has cerebral palsy and epilepsy, so we were nervous,” Steven says. “We didn’t know if we could give him the care he needed.” But the Brydges made the commitment, and it’s made all the difrerence in their lives — and those of Dalton and Dawson. “I kept praying for years and years that they wouldn’t take me away from Dalton,” says Dawson. “I was very afraid.”

Today, the boys are thriving in their home. Dawson is doing well in school, Dalton’s health has markedly improved and the boys’ laughter fills the house. “Life has been much more fulfilling,” Steven says. “It’s a lot more fun to share it with these kids.”

“We all love each other and we’re all kind and we’re all good at having fun together!” – Dawson Brydges, age eight, on his favorite thing about his family

Considering adoption?  Please check out this guide

Also, please prayerfully consider your financial support of this great organization.