Archive: February 26, 2021

Forever Family Friday week 18 – Jarkies and Marquel

We are not put on this earth for ourselves but are placed here for each other! That statement rings especially true when we think about our siblings. Over 50% of children in foster care have one or more siblings in the system as well. That means statistically 9 of the 18 children we have posted to date has a brother or sister we do not even know about. Super sad! Typically a sibling group is first placed in temporary care. After a few days of being unsettled they are moved again to a long-term placement location. It’s a lot for me to process …much less the kids trying to process it! Sometimes foster parents find it too taxing to take several children so they elect to pick just one. And so the journey begins of siblings being ripped apart. More times than not these siblings have been each other’s security blanket and support system. The only little piece of familiarity and comfort that they know abruptly comes to an end. The siblings are now sad and confused, as to why they can’t be together. And we can’t understand why they are upset. I totally understand! I understand why they lash out and display anything and everything from depression to aggressive behavior. This is a common scenario and one that I would love to not see happen here with these siblings. Please allow me to introduce you to two pretty amazing kids… Jarkies and Marquel! Two sweet brothers ages 10 and 7 from California. Please please help us keep them together!

Jarkies is happy and outgoing. He has a good relationship with peers and is well liked at school. He loves art and can spend a good amount of time just drawing what he envisions in his mind. He also enjoys writing, building with Legos and playing video games. In school he is doing well and his favorite subject is math. Marquel is playful and energetic. He loves to have fun and enjoys spending time with his friends. Swimming, riding his bike and playing video games are favorites. He also likes coloring, drawing and building with Legos. Like his brother, he likes to keep his room tidy. These guys deserve to not only have a family but they deserve to have each other! 

 For more info Please contact Yesenia Garcia at 213-257-7007, [email protected] Photo by I Belong Project

#adoption

#ForeverFamilyFriday

#fostercare

#love

#MakeADifference

#Siblings

#AdoptionRocks

#Brothers

Gabriela

Gabriela is 14, curious, funny, imaginative, and caring. She enjoys being social with others and can be extremely friendly and outgoing. She loves to travel. Gabriela also loves trying new types of food, getting her nails painted, creating stories, and anything involving hair and dolls. Gabriela needs a forever family who demonstrates awareness, is patient, and excited to celebrate her! For more info contact Margo at [email protected] 301.503.6741.

#adoption

#ForeverFamilyFriday

#fostercare

#love

#MakeADifference

#OpenHeartsOpenHomes

#AdoptionRocks

#SnowDays

Forever Family Friday week 16 – Jonny

February ❤️ The month of love. The month that one usually does something spectacular for someone special in their life. The month one is inundated with hearts and warm fuzzy moments with all the feels. It’s the month we emphasize the importance relationships and caring. It’s the month of giving cards, chocolates, cuddly stuffed animals and flowers that all say how much one cares. If you have someone special to share those Valentine moments with then you are one of the lucky ones. If you have a parent that secretly puts a note in your school lunch that says “Know you are loved today and EVERY day! Happy Valentine’s!” If you have a best friend that gave you a Valentine’s card that said “Thankful for friends like you!” you are one of the lucky ones. Most of you reading this are thinking “What is she talking about?” I’m talking about the norm for many kids in foster care is to NOT experience the warm fuzzy moments on Valentine’s or any other day. Children in foster care we would HOPE have someone they can share love and receive love with. But my guess is that is not the norm. That’s why we need you. We need people to open their hearts and their homes to kids that are deserving and just want to be loved. Can YOU be the special person in one of these kids’ lives? Can YOU be the giver of love TO THEM?

Jonny would make a great Valentine! He is 11 and lives in Tennessee. He loves anything sports, especially basketball and football. He says his teams are like family (I’ve heard that a time or two before! 😊). He is a math and science guy and enjoys spending time with others and is described as sociable and courteous. Having a family means they don’t let you run off by yourself. That you have fun together and eat dinner together. That they talk to you. I’m here to say that is not a long list. Can we please give that to Jonny? Jami Thornsberry Photography For more info: 954.319.0434 [email protected] or TNkidsbelong.org

#adoption

#ForeverFamilyFriday

#fostercare

#love

#MakeADifference

#OpenHeartsOpenHomes

#Hearts

#Valentine

Forever Family Friday week 15 – Lakira

#SuperBowl is always a BIG deal in the Tuohy household. This will be the first game we have missed in years but you guys know Mega-Phone Man was not getting in that crowd. He still has 10 days til his last vaccine. The memories of the games we’ve attended and the excitement of getting ready to watch has me giddy! In this family we pick our team and cheer loudly! Let me tell you, every play is followed by a reaction! I think you guys know that about me! “Run the dang ball” will be said more than once! But, as I sit here and plan for the game I can not get the statistic out of my head posted by @heartgallerytpa (Super Bowl is in Tampa this year for anyone who may not know). I posted the image on my story but repeating – the # of foster children JUST IN FLORIDA, could fill 421 NFL teams. As you watch the game on Sunday I want to ask you to take one moment, in between the commercials, the appetizers, and the fun, to look at how many players make up just 2 football teams. Then multiple that by 419 teams and you have a visual of how many children are in foster care RIGHT NOW in just Florida. That visual should leave a lump in your throat. Hopefully it will encourage you to look back at some of the #ForeverFamilyFriday posts these past few months and repost them on your social media, or share them with those around you. We have to keep talking about the children in foster care! They need us! They need us to get in the game! They need us to cheer loudly for them. Lakira needs us.

Please let me introduce Lakira! She is 16 and lives in Nebraska, however like all of our children we post, she can be adopted into any state! Lakira is a fun loving girl that gets along with almost everyone she meets. She is a rule follower and does very well in school, but her favorite part is interacting with her friends. Lakira is a typical girly-girl who likes to shop and do her hair and nails. Lakira is described as having a care-free spirit. She enjoys drawing, going to the zoo, trying new food and journaling. Lakira looks forward to having a family that will support her as she learns and grows. For more info: Jacey 402-227-1949, [email protected]

#adoption

#ForeverFamilyFriday

#fostercare

#love

#MakeADifference

#OpenHeartsOpenHomes

#AdoptionRocks

#FamiliesDontHaveToMatch

#SuperBowl