David and Natalya are the kind of people who invest in their community. They were both born and raised in Indiana, they’ve chosen to live their adult lives in their home state – so when they began thinking about fostering and adoption, they knew they wanted to look in-state.

The couple read child profiles and watched video features, including Michael’s. Something the teen said something at the end got David & Natalya’s attention. After inquiring and interviewing with Michael’s team, the couple finally got a chance to meet this 16 year old. At that first meeting, David says, “we knew he was going to be our son.”

Jeff and Lindsay say they always figured that adoption would be part of their family story. While working toward their foster license, Lindsay found out that she was pregnant with their son, Franklin. After becoming parents, their desire to foster and adopt grew stronger. They love Franklin deeply – and were even more aware of how many children don’t enter the world into a loving and safe family like he did. As Franklin got older, Jeff and Lindsay turned back to completing their foster license, so that they could be that safe space for another child.

They first met Lincoln as a foster placement, and Lindsay admits, “the first few months were up and down, as we all learned how to live and play with each other.” But they managed – some days the family was thriving, and others, well, not so much. But that’s true of any family! They remained committed and dedicated through the tough times, and when it became clear that Lincoln was going to need a permanent family, Jeff and Lindsay didn’t think twice.

Sometimes, all it takes is a Google search…or so it seemed to Ashlyn, who was beginning to explore options for building a family. Her heart was calling her to adopt an older child, which naturally led her to Indiana Adoption Program, where the average age of children waiting for families is 12.

Even before Ashlyn had a chance to meet Karissa, she felt connected to the little girl: they had both experienced loss and being given up on. During the interview, Ashlyn’s convictions were clear to the child’s team: this was not how Karissa’s story was going to end.

After going through the adoption recommendation process, Mitchell and Jocelin began to review profiles of children in need of permanent families. They expressed interest in a sibling group of three girls, and were selected to interview with the girls’ team. After being identified as the pre-adoptive match for the girls, Mitchell and Jocelin collaborated with the team to map out a solid transition plan.

From the day they met the girls, Mitchell & Jocelin felt an immediate connection. “The way they laughed, their curiosity, and the way they interacted with us made it feel natural, comfortable, and right. It was in that instant we realized this wasn’t just about providing a home — it was about becoming their family, supporting them through life’s challenges, and watching them thrive. We just knew that they were meant to be part of our lives, and that we were meant to be part of theirs.”

Brianna & Josiah are no strangers to foster care & adoption. As they neared getting married, they discussed foster parenting in greater depth, and agreed that even if they didn’t adopt, they would want to foster. Time went on, they got married, and then the couple found out that they weren’t able to have biological children. They continued to foster, and thought more about the prospect of adopting. They told us, “we had no idea that we would still be fostering six years later. We never had plans to adopt five children, and we never thought we would parent 30+ children in and out of our home! But, here we are!” Brianna was quick to add that it has been the “most heartbreaking and special experience we have ever had.”

The first four children the family adopted had been placed with them as foster placements. The children’s plans changed from reunification to adoption, and the family felt as though these children were supposed to remain with them. The most recent adoption, though – that one was a little different.

A few years after getting married, Ben and Eric decided that they wanted a family. They explored their options with the rigor and research-mindedness you might expect from two college professors. By the time they settled on adopting from foster care, the couple knew a few things: (1) they wanted to adopt an older child, and (2) doing so would not be the easiest path they’d ever traversed. Trauma and hardship were bound to be part of the journey, but Ben & Eric felt comfortable taking on the challenge. They became licensed and adoption recommended, and then were able to read in-depth child summaries for youth in need of adoptive families.

The child summaries were overwhelming and intimidating. Rather than turn away, though, Eric and Ben decided to attend a match event, where they could meet some of the youth in person. The couple knew they needed to see the kids as more than their child summaries, and the best way to do that was to get to interact with them, with no pressure and no adoption talk.Taking this step gave them a perspective on the children off the page. It also led them to meeting their son.

A lot of foster and adoptive families don’t explore the intricacies of adopting until they’re faced with the decision. Keyen, though, knew plenty about the process long before she decided to start a family. Her grandmother was a foster parent for many years, and her uncle adopted 4 boys from foster care. As an adult, Keyen followed in her grandmother’s footsteps and began fostering through Firefly Children & Family Alliance.

When she decided she wanted to adopt, Indiana Adoption Program was a logical place to start. Keyen registered for one of the match events so that she could meet some waiting children. Match events are held several times a year, usually at somewhere fun like a splash pad or a farm, and give prospective adoptive families the opportunity to interact with children in need of families in a fun, no-pressure, no-adoption-talk environment.

Keyen went to that event thinking she’d be adopting a girl. She’d even set up her future child’s bedroom with “girly” decor. By the end, though, Keyen knew she wanted to learn more about a couple of children she’d gotten the chance to hang out with – and neither of them were girls.

Adoption entered the conversation for Kaitlyn & Fenway on their very first date – both have adoption in their family tree, and both knew they wanted to continue the tradition in creating their own family. There are myriad ways to adopt, but they always felt pretty committed to adopting from foster care. Their reasoning: “In infant adoption, there’s a long list of families waiting for a baby to be born and their chance for placement. In foster care, the tables are turned. While there’s a long list of children waiting for their forever home, there aren’t enough families waiting to welcome them.” Kaitlyn & Fenway knew that their love of children wouldn’t be impacted by the child’s age – and they also liked the idea of adopting an older child, because the child would have the opportunity to choose them as a family too.

Fenway and Kaitlyn sound very “zen” about how they approached the adoption process: “We said from the start that the kids who were meant to be ours would find us.” It turns out, that’s really true!

Mike recently finalized his second adoption with Indiana Adoption Program. In fact, you might remember reading about his first adoption a few years ago here on this blog or watching his TV interview with WTHI in Terre Haute. Mike says that coming to the decision to adopt not once but twice was actually a lifetime in the making – his mother was a caseworker years ago, and that planted a seed. While raising his two daughters on his own, Mike began to seriously think about adopting – but with the demands of single parenting already, he felt that it wasn’t quite the right time.

But, as his daughters grew older and then moved out on their own, Mike returned again to this idea of providing a forever home for another child. For nearly 8 years, he’d been visiting the Indiana Adoption Program website, reading children’s profiles and considering inquiring for more information. Finally, with an empty nest, Mike reached out to start the licensing process.