Hello family, friends, and everyone else!

This is an adoption story, but unlike others, it doesn't start with a visit to an agency; it starts with an emergency phone call from a case worker and an unexpected trip to the ICU. It starts with Mr. and Mrs. Loving answering that call. It starts with the foster system.

The Loving family has fostered kids of all ages, from newborns to teenagers, for over half a decade. It is safe to assume that for a child to enter their care and find comfort in their home, something big has to go wrong first. One such kid is 5 yr old Lando, the little man holding the sign in the adoption picture above.

He was a newborn the first time they met him in the ICU, and Mrs. Loving was wearing the same dress. They brought him home, let him into their hearts, and then, eventually, reunited him with his birth family because the goal of fostering is reunification.

This comes with the program. It is emotional and hard and necessary. They say good bye, reunify, and hope for the best.

But sometimes, after bad things happen, worse things follow. So, after another emergency phone call and visit to the ER, Lando was reunified with the Loving family, where he has lived ever since.

This is a family that gives. They are generous and caring. They have struggles like we all do, but they take them in stride. This family helps others and rarely seeks help for themselves. 

They are not asking for help, but I am.

I love these people and I am nosey, so I have witnessed what families go through in a situation like this.

First, they never really know if an adoption will happen. There are false starts and stops on the journey, adding stress and uncertainty. Sometimes, in horrible situations, subpoenas and depositions and testifying in court are required. Ultimately, the foster family never really knows if an adoption will happen until the day they walk out of the courthouse for the last time with papers in hand. 

And once it finally happens, they face yet another challenge: How to provide the same level of care with less supportive income coming into the household.

Congrats! Your adoption has been approved! How about a pay cut?

Foster families receive financial support from the state, but adoptive parents aren't treated the same.

Look, this family is resilient. They will figure it out, they always do. They don't need our support, and yet, I want them to have it anyway. I think we can all agree that the world is a better place because people like this exist and do what they do.

Join me in helping them navigate this financial transition and thank them for their dedication to providing a loving home for children in need. Our goal is to raise $6,000 by the second week of October to ease their financial burden and show our support. Heck, if this gets enough steam, maybe they can even kick off this new chapter with a family vacation to celebrate and make more memories together. 

Your help can make a big difference in their lives.

Thanks for considering!
– Chris