Making It Happen Foundation » Forever Family Friday

Forever Family Friday week 15 – Lakira

February 5, 2021

#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]

#FamiliesDontHaveToMatch

#SuperBowl

Forever Family Friday week 14 – Saharra and Jayden

January 29, 2021

Here are a few not so fun facts for you this Friday. There are currently about 424,000 foster kids nationwide. That’s roughly 1 out of every 184 kids in foster care! That statistic should alarm all of us. AND 20,000 or more of those kids will age out of foster care this year. Of those, 50% will have no source of income and the other 50% will make around $7500 per year. That’s ridiculous and is NOT ok!

However, I am so encouraged by the questions and comments you have been asking! PLEASE keep them coming. I do not pretend to have all the answers because I certainly do not. Please don’t tell Seanie that. However, we can recommend some great resources that hopefully can point you in the right direction. Please visit my website (link in bio) and find sources on the Forever Family Friday page. There is a wealth of info that can help! If you still can’t find what you’re looking for DM me. DM our foundation. Email us. We want you to have the info you need to get the ball rolling!

Foster parents are in even greater demand than normal due to the pandemic. The numbers of kids entering the system are at all time highs. If you have even the smallest thought about adoption or foster care, I say PLEASE GO FOR IT! You will be far more rewarded than the effort you put out. And the effort is SO WORTH IT! The children are SO WORTH IT! You can be a difference maker!

Please let me introduce to you Saharra and Jayden from Oklahoma. THEY are SO WORTH IT! They are 13 and 14 years old and often called the terrific twosome. Saharra is a cheerleader and Jayden plays football and basketball. Both are best at math in school. However there are differences, Saharra likes to longboard and listen to music, Country and Hip Hop. Jayden likes to play video games and watch sports on TV. He prefers Rap and his favorite movie is “Avengers Endgame.” Saharra’s favorite movie is “High School Musical” and her favorite quote is “follow your dreams, they know the way”. Keep dreaming sweet girl! She wants to be a cosmetologist and travel. They are double the blessing to any family. Please contact Becky Hahn [email protected] (405)650-8947.

#adoption

#FamiliesDontHaveToMatch

#FamiliesDontHaveToMatch

#TheyAreWORTHit

Forever Family Friday week 13 – Janely

January 22, 2021

UPDATE! Janely has been MATCHED!

I have always thought that one of the greatest tests in life is how we respond to people that mishandle us. At least it is for me. These kids in foster care have been so mishandled. They are put to the test EVERY SINGLE DAY. Think about it. They have no one to challenge them to do better…to be better. They have no one who is committed to them. They have no one to champion for them. There’s no one to try and make them smile when they are sad or take care of them when they are sick. Being mishandled is an understatement…neglected is a better word! You can turn a deaf ear to this but it’s not going away. We have a role to play here. We have a responsibility. Together we can make a huge difference! We can ensure that these kids go from feeling mishandled to feeling loved, treasured, valuable, needed, included and amazing! We talk about this every Friday. You know the drill. However, this week I’m going to do a little something extra! We’re going to give away some bubble wands to folks that repost and tag me. And between now and Valentines the person that reposts the most…we’re going to send you a dozen @whimsycookieco cookies! Yum! They are the best. So make the effort for the kids and get a little something too! Please repost and share these kids. Please share this beautiful girl from Massachusetts!

Please meet Janely. She is a sweet 13 year old who loves drawing and making people laugh. She is a talented artist with a beautiful personality. She will bring love and happiness to any family! Janely is a little shy, likes reading, sports and math! She says math is hard work but she likes it! Janely does well in school and gets along well with her peers and teachers. Please help us find the forever family that will champion for Janely, who will NOT mishandle her, who will show her she is special and can be anything she wants to be! For more info please contact Emily Goldberger Emily Goldberger [email protected] Click here to view Janely’s video!

Rules – Must share on Instagram or Facebook. Must tag @leighannetuohy and @mihfoundation. Bubble wand and Whimsy Cookie recipients will be selected at random and notified via DM from @MIHFoundation on or before 2/9/2021.

#adoption

#FamiliesDontHaveToMatch

Joshua and Leon

January 15, 2021

Joshua and Leon are two brothers who have been able to stay together while in the system, but now we need a family to step up and say, “yes” to both of them so they will not be separated. Our prayer is that will be able to continue on the journey together and be there for each other. The boys are 12 and 7 years old and live in Florida.

Joshua has a loving, protective nature, and a strong desire to ensure he and his brother are together and safe. Joshua is unique for his age in that he loves to help others and tends to put most people’s needs before his own. He’s outgoing & loves talking to people and making them laugh. He loves basketball, playing Legos, and going to Adventure Island. Leon is a playful little guy who loves his big brother more than anything. He is a joy to be around and those who know him best all agree he has a natural ability to fill your heart, even without trying. Leon’s favorite thing to do is ride his scooter and he tries extremely hard in completing tasks and doing things on his own.

Joshua and Leon have been through so much in their short lives. They both have a desire to give and receive love and look forward to being in a family setting. Are you able to help? Are you able to make a difference in the lives of these boys? Please contact @HeartGalleryTpa 813-314-2021 Samantha Lowe.

VIEW JOSHUA’S CHRISTMAS WISH LIST

LEON’S CHRISTMAS WISH LIST HAS BEEN FULFILLED!

#siblings

#brothers

#adoption

#FamiliesDontHaveToMatch

#fostercare

#love

Owen

January 9, 2021

Please meet Owen & let’s help him not be one of the 400,000+ children going through this world alone anymore! Owen is an energetic, humorous and lively 13 year old from Arizona. He likes to stay active riding his scooter, bike & skateboard and loves swimming and basketball! When indoors Owen enjoys Legos and “Sorry!” Going to church and Sunday school are important to him and he enjoys worship music. His favorite sports teams are the Steelers, Diamondbacks and Golden State Warriors. Please make 2021 THE year for Owen and contact Heather at [email protected]

OWEN’S CHRISTMAS WISH LIST HAS BEEN FULFILLED!

#BeAnythingYOUWantToBe

#FamiliesDontHaveToMatch

Aariyana

January 4, 2021

Please allow me to introduce you to Aariyana. This beautiful young lady is 13 years old and from South Carolina. She is already making plans to graduate high school with good grades and attend college! Drawing and art are some of her favorite activities. She also enjoys the outdoors. Her favorite food is buffalo wings. She’s bright and energetic and valuable and deserves a forever family. Helping one person might not change the world, but you can change the world for that one! For more info please contact the South Carolina Heart Gallery at 803-734-2595 or [email protected] Photo: Kennedy Exekiel

AARIYANA’S CHRISTMAS WISH LIST HAS BEEN FULFILLED!

#ForeverFamilyFriday

#FamiliesDontHaveToMatch

Forever Family Friday week 9 – Gerold’Nesha

December 31, 2020

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you are enjoying some memorable warm fuzzy moments with your family and friends as you read this. I want to thank you for your heart for wanting to learn more about adoption and foster care and journeying along with Forever Family Friday. Thank you for sharing and posting and talking about all these children in need of their forever family. It is a gift to me that is invaluable. This year has been hard. Harder than many of you can imagine. So so many of these kids did NOT wake up to a warm fuzzy Christmas morning today. There will be very little merry in their day. My guess would be that many children in foster care are questioning their worth and value today. They feel unwanted. They are not celebrating and there is little to no joy. Please meet this sweet smiling girl from Louisiana. Gerold’Nesha is her name and she is 14 years old! She is a happy child with an easygoing personality. I love her cute top “Meowy and Bright!” She is polite, respectful, and caring with adults and peers. She enjoys going to church, praise dancing, and spending time with her friends. Gerold’Nesha loves watching cheerleaders and it is her desire to try out for the squad. @collinstuohysmith …you can help with this! She enjoys playing video games on her tablet and riding her bike or scooter. On her Christmas list is a loving and caring family who is willing to help her full potential. It makes me sad that is on any child’s list. A loving and caring family should be a given, not a wish. Please help connect Gerold’Nesha with her forever family! For more information please contact Patti Hebert at (337) 366-2001 or [email protected]

#ForeverFamilyFriday

#FamiliesDontHaveToMatch

Forever Family Friday – week 8 -Brejanee, Lelani, Bernard and Kennard

December 18, 2020

Have you looked at my Forever Family Friday posts the last 8 weeks and said to yourself, “Why should I get involved?” or “There’s nothing I can really do?” Listen, these kids are valuable and worthy and deserve our undivided attention! We ALL should be involved with foster care because it matters and these kids are part of your community. They are part of our future! They deserve to be seen and known and loved…just like you and me! There is no difference.

Please meet this precious sibling group from California. Four beautiful children with no mom or dad! They need our undivided attention! This group is four times the fun, the smiles and the laughter. These kids want one thing, to be together again, in one home! Brejanee, age 11, is kind and loving and a good helper around the house. She is always proud to show off her tidy room, with clean clothes neatly folded inside the dresser. She also loves school and her friends. Lelani, age 10, is helpful and kind hearted. She is close to her siblings, but more so to Brejanee as they have many of the same things in common such as doing each other’s nails, dressing up and dancing their hearts out. Bernard, age 7, is active with a shining personality. He is a social and engaging young man who likes to keep himself busy playing electronic games. He loves to be active in sports and he has played basketball and baseball. He loves going to school and be with his friends and teachers. Kennard, age 5, is bright and compassionate. He loves coloring and sometimes uses it to relieve his stress. During his down time, he watches cartoons or plays with his tablet. His favorite activity is playing basketball like his big brother.

These 4 kids deserve to be together. They deserve to have a family. They deserve to be loved and enjoy the happiness of not only this Christmas season but many to come. Can you provide that for them? Do you know someone who can? If so, please contact Yesinia Garcia, [email protected] or 213-257-7007. Remember having your home study done is the first step! Photo: Peter Valli.‬

Forever Family Friday – week 7 – Tanaijah

December 17, 2020

UPDATE! Tanaijah has been matched with her forever family!

I hope you guys had a great week! It’s hard to believe it’s Friday again. Where does time go? That is a question so many kids in foster care ask everyday. Suddenly they are 18 and aging out of the system with nothing. No family. No support system. No structure. No one to be accountable to…NOTHING! We have to do better. I know you all are God fearing, kind and loving people. I know you all are busy and your lives are crazy…I totally understand. But if you could spend 15 minutes each week and tell one person about the kids we post…I truly feel like we could find families for 52 kids this year. Just reading this post and in your mind thinking, ‘how unfortunate’ or ‘how sad’ or ‘isn’t she pretty’ or ‘isn’t he handsome’…is not enough.

We need prayer partners, and we need you to think about prospective adoptive parents for these kids! Please help us spread the word. Today we have a beautiful young lady who would love nothing more than to spend the holidays with a family…her family. A family that would love and adore her. I have said this so many times…There are NO unwanted kids, there are just unfound families! It is not a child’s job to find their family. They didn’t ask to be in this situation. It is not their job to find someone to care for them or to love them. That is OUR job to lift them up, help restore their broken lives and try as best we can to heal their hurting!

Here is a young lady that deserves our undivided attention. Please allow me to introduce you to Tanijah. She is a friendly and energetic young lady who enjoys participating in sports! She also enjoys creative crafts and listening to music. Tanijah has a lot of love to give and dreams that her new family FINDS HER SOON! She is 15, lives in New York and would like to keep in touch with her grandmother and her brother. She knows family is important. If you can be part of the solution for Tanijah, please contact [email protected] And as always you can contact Tracy or Molly at ‪[email protected]‬

Jeff

December 4, 2020

Please meet Jeff from Vermont. He is 11 years old and would like a mom and dad….and a family. In a small town or on a farm would be great. He has one brother he would like to keep in touch with. Soccer, roller skating and riding bikes are things he likes, as well as playing outdoors and throwing a football. Marvel movies and zombie movies he likes the best, and video games like racing and action games.

If you think you can be Jeff’s forever family, or know of someone who can, please contact Mark Simino at 802-379-5086 or email [email protected]. Home studies are important. But the most important things are open hearts and open homes! Share! Repost! Talk about Jeff on your zoom calls and around YOUR dinner table.

JEFF’S CHRISTMAS WISH LIST HAS BEEN FULFILLED!

#ForeverFamilyFriday
#Adoption
#FosterCare
#Vermont
#Love
#FamiliesDontHaveToMatch

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