Mr. Young's Story
Mr. Rodney Young knew his calling was to be an adoptive parent. Having grown up with many adopted relatives, he felt that adoption was the way he wanted to build his family. He also felt that he wanted to adopt a younger child. Then he attended the opening of the Heart Gallery of Illinois in November 2005, and his thinking began to change.
At this event, Mr. Young had the chance to see photos of the many Illinois teenagers who were in need of adoptive homes. He also listened firsthand to the testimony of parents Vanessa and Oreal James, who described the numerous rewards (and occasional trials) involved with raising adopted teens. The James’ description of their daily joys, struggles, and successes convinced Mr. Young that he should consider adopting a teenager.
Back at home, Mr. Young began looking closely at the Adoption Listing Book, which is published by the Adoption Information Center of Illinois and features photos and descriptions of youth in foster care who need adoptive families. Although he had reviewed the book before, this time he gave serious consideration to the older faces he saw there.
Very quickly, one set of smiles jumped out at him. Devon and Devondre were fourteen-year-old twin brothers. Mr. Young said, “When I read about them, it seemed like they had great personalities. And I’m atwin, so I figured we’d have that in common if we met.”
At that point, Mr. Young picked up the phone and called the Adoption Information Center of Illinois. Months earlier, the AICI had helped Mr. Young through his adoption licensing process, and, when he had some difficulties with one agency, the AICI helped him choose another. Once his licensing was complete, AICI Resource Specialist Stephanie Robinson helped him register with the AICI’s Adoption Listing Service so he could find out more about individual children who were waiting for adoption. After registration, Mr. Young began receiving the Adoption Listing Book and had access to the AICI’s matching services, which suggest possible matches between children and families.
So on the day of his phone call regarding Devon and Devondre, he felt comfortable calling AICI, where most of the staff already knew him by name. He spoke with AICI Family Resource Worker Olga Dotson-Landingham, who talked with him about the boys, provided some additional background, and gave him the phone number of their caseworker.
Shortly after speaking to the caseworker, Mr. Young had a visit with the two young men. “We hit it off right away,” he said. “We have a lot of the same interests, like our taste in music. We all listen to hip-hop, R&B, and rap, so we had a lot to talk about.”
While he was learning more about them, the twins were sizing him up, too, in a playful and curious way. “They wanted to know what I did for a living and if I was planning on getting married someday. They had a good sense of humor, and we laughed a lot. They were nice mannerable children, which made the idea of adoption more approachable.”
After a few more visits, the family caseworker, the brothers’ caseworker, Mr. Young, and the twins concluded that this was a good match. Devon and Devondre came to live in Mr. Young’s home a little over a year ago, and today the adoption is moving towards finalization.
Mr. Young reports that the new family is doing well. “They started calling me ‘Dad’ pretty early on. We get along well and have a good time. They do their chores. Sometimes they need a little redirection, but mostly they listen real well and are very respectful.”
Appreciating the importance of the brothers’ past, Mr. Young has helped the young men keep in contact with their birth relatives. They see their birth mother about once a week, and they see their paternal grandmother regularly, too. Recently, Mr. Young and the twins were all invited to the birth father’s family reunion, where they were warmly welcomed and had a good time.
Mr. Young had kind words for the way AICI helped him with the licensing process and with bringing his family together. “Every time I called, Stephanie and Olga were able to answer my questions. They were just so helpful without any reluctance at all.”
Adoptions Unlimited Executive Director Marilyn Panichi said, “We’re really pleased that we could help Mr. Young fulfill his dream of becoming an adoptive parent. His experience is a wonderful example of the many ways families can benefit from our services.”
This story was originally published in the 2006 edition of our annual report.
