Success Stories
Adoption and foster care can change lives. They offer rewards not just for the child but for the whole family.
In this section of our site, you can read about real-life adoption and foster care success stories.
Some success stories are told from the point of view of youth in foster care while others are told from the point of view of adoptive families. Each story illustrates the impact of successful adoptive placement and the type of factors that lead to success.
Be sure to check back soon for additional updates.
Zeanna's Story
Zeanna entered foster care at age fourteen. She is a happy, upbeat young lady who loves Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and all things Disney. Because Zeanna was diagnosed with autism, her caseworkers knew they would need to find a special family to care for her. They found this family – Paulette and Keith Day – through the AICI’s Adoption Listing Service (ALS).
The ALS maintains lists of children who need adoptive families and families who want to adopt. Then it promotes matches between the two.
Ms. O'Neal's Story
Lynette and Lisa* are bright young sisters who needed help. They had been in several different foster homes when the courts decided they needed a “forever family.” In an effort to find one, their caseworker registered them with the AICI’s Adoption Listing Service (ALS). And before 60 days had passed, we helped link them with a loving adoptive mother, Ms. Raylanda O’Neal.
While the girls’ listing with the ALS was relatively straightforward, Ms. O’Neal’s route to getting connected with the girls included a little personalized help from AICI.
Joshua's Story
Joshua was twelve years old and beginning to despair. He had been in the child welfare system for four years. For much of that time, he was hoping that he would be adopted. But it hadn’t happened. “I started to lose hope that there would be a family out there for me.”
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.
Renee's Story
At age 18, I "aged out" of foster care and was on my own with no guidance and no one who seemed to care. There was one exception - a very special person who treated me with dignity, respect, concern, warmth and finally, love. She was there for me first as my social worker and later as the parent I had longed for during my youth. She taught me how to commit to a family relationship and adopted me at age 22.
Basilia and Jerome's Story
Adoptive parents Carl and Bobbi Jo Celli are strong advocates of open communication – when it is in a child’s best interests – because they have seen the positive effect that such contact has had on their daughter Basilia (13) and son Jerome (11).
The Celli Family
Mrs. Celli explained the reason why she and her husband are so supportive of open communication with birth families. “We have seen the positive results with our children. To us, the most positive thing that you can do to validate your child’s life – the good and bad experiences that are all part of who they are – is to acknowledge, embrace and be open to all of the people who are a part of their life’s tapestry.”
Anna's Story
When my parents told me I was being nominated for Hispanic Youth of the Year, I felt honored and thought about what this means to my family, my teachers and my future. I work very hard to get the best grades. Nothing comes easy to me and it all requires hard work, even the little things in my life. I am a three-sport athlete (swimming, basketball, and soccer)and we all know how hard it is to keep your grades up because of the time sports consume. I volunteer, do community service, mentor other kids like me and try to have some fun, too. I work very hard to achieve my goals.
Ms. Grant's Story
Although adoption was always in the back of her mind, Marsha Grant didn't pursue adoption until two years after she received her license. Her first adoption involved a two-year-old boy placed in her home as a foster child in 1997. He is now eight years old. Her next adoption was of a teenager named April (not her real name), whose adoption was completed in 2001.
"For many years as a foster parent I had teens and said I'd never adopt teens," admitted Ms. Grant. "But April's transition into my home went very smooth. She was supposed to move to another temporary placement, but I said I'd keep her until a permanent home was located."
Lisa's Story
Lisa came into custody at age twelve due to neglect. Lisa's mother contacted her periodically for several years, but this contact was not leading them toward reunification, and Lisa's desire to have a permanent family remained. She had no contact with her father.
When she was sixteen, a judge asked her if she would like parental rights to be terminated. Lisa stated, "I chose for the rights to be terminated because I had to let the excess baggage go in order to be who I knew I wanted to be. I had to let go and go on. She is my mother and will always be my mother, but I had to draw a line."
Jessica's Story
Adoption: usually when you hear this word, you think that it was a sad/bad thing. In reality, adoption is just the opposite. Adoption gives kids a great sense of belonging, knowing that somebody loves them and wants them. My name is Jessica Lynn and I was adopted at the age of two years old along with my two brothers.
