November is National Adoption Month!
The first Adoption Week began in 1976 by Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis to promote the need for adoptive parents in foster care. In 1995 President Clinton expanded it to National Adoption Month.
Did you know there are over 8 MILLION children worldwide that are waiting to be adopted and 440,000 in the US? While that's a staggering statistic I want to share a local family's story to spread awareness through a sweet and inspirational success story. The need for adoptive families is still relevant today and you can be the change just like Kelly Benco Pierce and her family. Read more about foster care here.
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"She came to us in November of 2017, she was 4 months old. It was supposed to be just a short emergency placement. A blood relative (an aunt, sister to the biological dad) wanted to step in and take her. She left us in January of 2018 to stay with her aunt. Her aunt never wanted to be a parent. When she realized how much we loved her, she decided our home was better for her. The parents started doing the weekly supervised visits. They weren’t married. They had issues with drugs. Mom had mental health issues. This little one was her 4th child. She lost custody of all of them. The parents broke up and mom quit visiting. Dad tried for a while but he was homeless and he stopped coming. Her parents never came to court and mom voluntarily terminated her parental rights. She has a post-adoption visitation agreement that we agreed to with conditions. We wanted our little one to know her siblings if possible. Mom never followed through. No visits. I know her name so I may reach out later. Dad was afraid, he had outstanding warrants and the judge terminated his rights.
We have a great relationship with her aunt. She knows her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. She has seen her biological dad. If he stays clean, she may know him as her biological dad. The adoption was final on November 19, 2019. It was amazing to hear the judge announce her as Jaylynn Rae Pierce. The courtroom was full of family and friends. There were cheers and happy tears. This amazing little girl was the final piece to our puzzle and we didn’t even know one was missing. My husband and I have been married for 26 years. We have two biological daughters ages 23 and 20. In November 2019, we became parents to a 2 year. We knew she was ours as soon she came to our house. I had only fostered toddlers in the past. I thought it would be fun to have a baby. I nursed my children and knew nothing about bottles. I learned a lot. Thanks to some very generous family, I was able to get all kind of baby things. Pack and play, swing, and toys"
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I find it so sweet that while Kelly and her family were not planning for this change they adjusted and added another beautiful daughter to their family. Thank you so much for sharing your family's story, Kelly!
