Jun 17, 2022 | Feature Families
When Jacqueline and Jake Cline first considered adopting, they explored all the options – international, private, independent, and public. After a lot of research, they decided on private adoption for their first child. Fast-forward 5 years, and the Clines decided that they were ready to add to their family again. This time, they decided to become licensed foster parents, with the intention of eventually adopting an older child. After fostering several children, they learned of Renesmee, the girl with the sunshine smile.
May 27, 2022 | Feature Families, Teen Adoption
Reading child summaries can be daunting: they outline every difficult thing that has happened to a foster child, and sometimes it can feel as though the child’s challenges and needs outweigh the strengths and positives. While the summary does include the child’s strengths, likes and dislikes, what they hope for in a family, and so on, reading those words isn’t the same as experiencing the child in person. After all, humans are too complex to be summed up by words on a page.
Apr 25, 2022 | Feature Families, Indiana Adoption Program
Remember being 20-something and thinking that you had control of how your life would turn out? So did Sarah! She thought about adoption, but assumed that she’d be married first. Which is why being a mom was nowhere on her radar when she met 8-year-old Liam. Little did Sarah know, that within the next year, life as she knew it would be changed forever!
Mar 4, 2022 | Feature Families, Teen Adoption
As a single man in his 50′s, Andrew never saw himself as a father. “I thought the whole idea was pretty much preposterous, you know. My age. Single. What business do I have doing this?” said Andrew. But when Andrew saw Alex’s news segment, he saw so much of himself in Alex that he knew he wanted to help. Seven months after meeting Alex and just three days before Alex’s 18th birthday, their adoption day arrived. Andrew surprised Alex with cake, and Alex was thrilled to make it official. “After 13 years, it’s good,” said Alex. “After 13 years, I’m done. Out of the system!”
Dec 14, 2021 | Feature Families, Teen Adoption
When you think of millennials, what comes to mind? Maybe college students in coffee shops, “digital natives,” or younger people who have a renewed interest in collecting “vintage” items like Polaroid cameras, vinyl records, or needlepoint. But how many of you think of millennials as adoptive parents…to teens? Maricela and Cody — in their 20s themselves — share why they decided to adopt a teen from foster care, and offer some advice for other families.
Nov 30, 2021 | Feature Families, National Adoption Month
Meet some of the outstanding families in Indiana who adopted this year! All month long, we’ve been celebrating National Adoption Month by highlighting adoptees and their families.
Nov 16, 2021 | Feature Families, National Adoption Month, Sibling Adoption, Teen Adoption
When 14-year-old Hannah found out about a boy in school who needed a family, she was eager to tell her parents Todd and Tammy (who happened to be foster parents) all about him. As fate would have it, Tammy was a substitute teacher at the time, and she often had Nayvin in class. In fact, the two had already clicked. Nayvin would even jokingly ask Tammy to adopt him. What started out as a silly joke, though, soon turned into reality.
Jul 8, 2021 | Feature Families, Teen Adoption
When Megan and Jeremy first became foster parents, they set some very firm boundaries: Nobody over the age of 10, and ideally someone younger than their biological son. Fast forward to November 2020, when their family finalized their first adoption — of a teenage girl! Their unexpected change of heart changed the life of an Indiana teenager in foster care.
Feb 24, 2021 | Feature Families, Sibling Adoption, Teen Adoption
Adoptive parents Shelly and Michelle are the first to acknowledge that adopting siblings from foster care hasn’t always been an easy road. At times, the couple felt like they were being pushed to their limits, but now they consider those experiences as preparing them to be the best parents possible for Matthew and Alex.
Jan 26, 2021 | Feature Families, Sibling Adoption
When Rachel and Kevin got married, they always envisioned children in their future. But they quickly learned that Rachel’s health concerns would make it nearly impossible for them to have children of their own. Fortunately, they knew there was a great need for foster and adoptive families, so Rachel and Kevin decided to get licensed as foster parents. What they couldn’t anticipate, though, was how drastically their lives would change after adopting a child who had a traumatic brain injury.
