Category: Uncategorized

Forever Family Friday week 11 – Owen

January 9, 2021

Well…It’s been quite the year and we are only 7 days in to 2021. The events from this week have once again halted us in our tracks and have caused me to drop to my knees and pray for our nation, our leaders and for God’s grace. It seems like every other day we are living through an “unprecedented” historical moment. As I sit here writing this with my granddogs nuzzled by me, Sean in the other room shouting responses to a Jeopardy episode, and Collins in the chair beside me typing a blog post faster than I can think, I’m grateful that they are healthy, safe and loved and I’m saddened that I’m trying to think of what to say about another child this Friday.

My heart aches as I think about the 400,000+ children in the US going through these whiplash of events alone. 400,000+ children who don’t have someone reassuring them that their emotions are validated & how to healthily navigate those feelings, who don’t have someone to tuck them in at night & pray with them for a better tomorrow, who don’t have a model of stability during a world that is so evidently unstable. These chilling reminders are what keep my feet on the pavement and focused on the purpose of these posts every single Friday.

Please join me in this fight for them. They are valuable & worthy and deserve a sense of security, of family, of being loved & cherished. Every single thing right now feels like it is out of our control, but remember you are always in control of your reactions to what is happening. Be kind, check on your neighbors, & help me find a loving place for these children.

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] ❤️

#BeAnythingYOUWantToBe

#FamiliesDontHaveToMatch

#Adoption

#FosterCare

#NoUnwantedKids

#JustUnfoundFamilies

Forever Family Friday – Jeff

December 4, 2020

Ok! We are just about in the thick of the CHRISTMAS season!!! Black Friday has come and gone. Small Business Saturday is done. Cyber Monday is history. Giving Tuesday is over! But one thing that is not over and has not changed is that over 140,000 kids are still waiting on their forever families.

All 140,000 kids are just one family away from being a success story! They just need someone to say yes. I would like nothing more than to help Jeff and all the other children we post to have that happy ending to their story. Everyone deserves to be special to somebody. You can be a part of that. I promise this experience will bless you more than you can imagine.

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, as we talked about last week. 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.

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

Forever Family Friday – Aquyla and Aquanis

November 28, 2020

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. This year it looks different for many of us but for kids in foster care not much will have changed. They still will be without a forever family. They still will have no structure, stability or security. My heart aches for them. Given just a little effort you can be a part of making a difference in their lives. We all have the ability to try and connect them with people that will love and adore them. As we try to find families that can offer hope, love and opportunity to these kids anything you can do from prayer to participation is greatly appreciated.

Please meet Aquyla, who is 14 years old, and her younger brother Aquanis, who is 10 years old. They are from Indiana. Aquyla, is a confident, charming young lady who makes friends easily. When she needs some downtime, Aquyla will sit with a good book or journal. She’s focusing on getting good grades because she has goals to go to college and eventually medical school. Aquyla believes her greatest strength is that she helps others. Aquanis is a true gentleman! This sweet guy is inquisitive and respectful. He enjoys everything from video games to basketball to LEGOs. Aquanis is an active kid, and if you bring the right tunes, he’ll sing and dance! He’s a great student, and likes to learn new things. https://www.indianaadoptionprogram.org/project/aquyla-aquanis-8838ab/

 Remember…this take everyone. We have had many questions over the weeks asked about the process of foster care, adoption and expenses. I will attempt to provide a few answers, but as always, please contact Tracy or Molly at [email protected] with specific questions.

  • All the children we post are ready to go, they are ready to be adopted. Paperwork is completed and all they need is someone to say yes!
  • People ask about finances. Adopting from foster care is little to no money. If you find out differently PLEASE let me know – give me a name and a number and we will get to the bottom of it.
  • What IS required is a home study. You need to get this done from your local agency. There will be a few steps involved, but it can be done in a timely manner if you are available and can get the steps done quickly.
  • On every post of every child there is a contact person, number and or email. Contact them. There is not a swipe up or link. You need to type in the email or actually dial the phone number.
  • This will take a bit of work. This will take time and effort. BUT THESE KIDS ARE WORTH IT! There will be hoops to jump through, papers to sign and logistics to figure out. This is not order on Amazon and a child will be delivered in 2 business days. There are many wonderful resources and they can be overwhelming. But dig in.  Thank You for having the heart to make a difference!

#ForeverFamilyFriday #FamiliesDontHaveToMatch #Siblings #Thankful #Adoption #FosterCare #LoveWins

Forever Family Friday – Christopher

November 20, 2020

It’s hard to believe Thanksgiving is next week.

While most of us are preparing our homes and “ordering” our turkeys, decorating for Christmas and making lists and plans, there are children that are simply looking for hope. They are just asking for the basics. They are just wanting to be loved. They are longing for a family.

We have the opportunity to make those simple hopes and dreams a reality! If you have ever considered opening your heart and your home this is a great time.

The needs are at an epidemic level. Kids are aging out of foster care every minute of every day. These kids just need someone to remind them that they are worthy.

You may not be able to adopt but we all can do something! The one thing we ALL can do is share, repost and like #ForeverFamilyFriday posts.

Foster care is a system we can fix. But is takes all of us. All of us doing our part. Please join us in this. Please do it for Christopher.

Look at that smile! He is 12, from Louisiana, and is looking for a family to provide him unconditional love and patience.

Wow. That should not be at the top of a list. That should be taken for granted. But for most kids they do not have that. He is fun, enthusiastic, polite and has a lot of energy.

Christopher enjoys playing and watching all sports, especially football, baseball and basketball. I KNOW my insta family loves sports too! He enjoys playing video games and eating pizza and grilled cheese sandwiches. He is a very caring and thoughtful child who loves dancing and being the center of attention.

Please help Christopher find his forever family. Contact Patti Herbert for more info! [email protected] #ForeverFamilyFriday #FosterCare #Adoption #FamiliesDontHaveToMatch #UnconditionalLove #Patience #OpenHeartsOpenHomes

Forever Family Friday – Tempe

November 16, 2020

This week we recognized #WorldAdoptionDay.

Globally there are over 140 MILLION children who are in immediate need of a family. 104,236 of those children are RIGHT HERE in the United States of America. 104,236 children who just need ONE person to step up and choose them. Not one of those kids asked to be in this situation. This was not their dream and by no fault of their own are in this situation.

Tempe (short for Temperance!) is one of those children. 

Tempe is a 13-year-old high spirited and bubbly girl from Arizona who loves to be out and about. Can I get an amen to being out and about raised_hands She likes soccer, rollerblading, going to the park and her absolute favorite activity is  horseback riding.

Tempe enjoys spending time riding and caring for each horse in her equine therapy program. One day, Tempe wants to own a ranch and raise horses and other animals. I love an ambitious girl with big dreams and a kind heart. Do you know someone that has a ranch or farm with horses? What a great fit that could be for Tempe.

Please help us find her a #foreverfamily. Let’s make this the best Christmas Tempe has ever had!

**Please know that all children we share can be adopted from any state. Also, we have had many questions about cost. There is little to no cost in adopting from foster care! The first step is getting your home study completed. That is necessary for all children.

Please contact [email protected] and they can answer all your questions!

#ForeverFamilyFriday week three!

Forever Family Friday – Antonio

November 16, 2020

Wow. It has been quite a week. I for one am exhausted!

While we have been worried about elections and pandemics and toilet paper and so many other things…hundreds and thousands of children are worried about their next meal. Or who will help them with homework. Or who will help them if they are sick.

I understand that everyone has their own issue and or struggles but basic necessities like food, clothing, shelter and most of all LOVE should not be on the list of a kid!

I’m not sure how many of you shared Christina last Friday but I hope and pray that you will share Antonio. It will take 20 seconds to pop this on your Facebook or tweet it or repost this. You never know who will see it.

Please let me introduce Antonio to you! He is 14 years old and is from Mississippi. He has been waiting for his forever family for almost 4 years! I just can’t imagine that.

He has missed 4 birthdays with a family. He has missed 4 Christmases. That is just NOT ok! He enjoys football and basketball like most boys his age. He aspires to being a professional football player.

If he visits anywhere in the world he would like to travel to Kansas City because he dreams of playing with the @chiefs! His biggest dreams are reserved for his forever family – one that hopefully likes football as much as he does.

Please help us find Antonio his forever family! It take a village! Team Tuohy needs you…Antonio needs you! 

Thank you!

#ForeverFamilyFriday week two!
Please contact [email protected] or call 601-359-4133
Chris Grillis Photography. 

Forever Family Friday – Christina

November 16, 2020

Deep breath in and exhale out and here we go… we are kicking National Adoption Month off a few days early but it is Friday and if you look at my instastory today it explains our new approach to posting these amazing kids. Here’s to our first #ForeverFamilyFriday!

I like the way that sounds. This might be the best thing to come out of 2020! We will be sharing a child every Friday in need of their forever family! There are an estimated 425,000+ children in “the system” and 124,000 of them are ready to go today – as in paper work is complete and they need someone to say YES!

Please ponder over each picture. Pray for each child. Pray for someone to open their heart and their home. I wish this country would take a timeout and really focus on these kids. It is my hope over the next 52 weeks that you will journey with us…that you will truly have a passion to make a difference in the lives of these 52 children, share them with you co-workers, neighbors, family members, consider these children for YOUR home, and of course please repost and share on your social media.

Maybe you’ve never considered adoption and this will get your mind thinking. We need participation on all levels! Everything matters. You never know who sees what or hears what that could be the difference maker for one of these kids. We are counting on you to be a part of team Tuohy!

On that note! Please let me introduce to you Christina – a little girl with a big personality who is 11 years old and lives in Florida. Strong willed and loving, Christina adores animals, going to the park and swimming.  She has been working hard in school and is proud of the A she got on her last math test! Her most perfect day would be spent at Disney World (ME TOO!) And can I say I love her unicorn vibe!

I love everything about this beautiful child and the thought that she has no family breaks my heart. Let’s try and make Christina’s future brighter and be the reason she smiles! 

For more information in Christina please contact the Heart Gallery of Tampa 813-314-2021.

Alicia Johnson Photography