We live in a time where foster care and adoption seem like common household conversations. I’m sure we all know at least one family in our circle of friends that fosters or has adopted. Maybe you’re that family that has provided a needy child with foster love!
Have you considered being a foster family? How about adoption?
Before my husband and I got married I had told him that I always wanted to adopt and his response was, “Cool! That sounds good!” I wondered if he was sincere in his support for this idea, until I overheard him in another conversation with someone else talking about it. I believe he meant it when he said,
“One day, we would like to adopt.”
15 years later and 6 babies birthed from my body, we have yet to make that a reality. However, we have walked with many friends through the foster-to-adopt system and have helped fundraise for out-of-country adoptions. But we don’t feel like God has said, “now!” to us. Still waiting, hoping, and praying.
All these families who adopt and foster love that we have met and know are amazing! None of them would say they are of course.
They would simply say that they just said yes to the call to help care for a child in need.
Even though we have not been called (yet!), we feel strongly that we are meant to support and help where we can. And there are many ways that you can do so without having to become a foster parent yourself.
You can foster love for just one day.
As I’ve made my way as a parent and a friend to families that are adopting and fostering children, I learned about this organization called Together We Rise. Its headquarters are right here in north Orange County. Brea to be exact. They help to support foster parents and foster kids in a tangible way. It all started with wanting to give foster kids a duffle bag to carrying their belongings in instead of having to keep their things in a trash bag.
Can you imagine not even having one suitcase to carry all your worldly possessions in?
For the past few years, this organization has hosted a two day event called Disney Days at the Disneyland Resort. This is a special opportunity to re-unite siblings who are currently living in foster care and they get to spend the whole day together at the Disneyland park.
The happiest place on earth for the happiest reunions on earth!
As you may recall from my previous post here about how to take better pictures of your children, I am a photographer (in addition to raising and homeschooling and co-parenting our family of six children). And one way I can support and help to foster love in this community is by volunteering my talents when they’re needed.
So I was extremely excited and honored to be chosen as a Disney Day photographer this year to capture this special event for siblings in foster care.
The children were divided up into small groups. Each group had one photographer who stayed with them the whole day taking photos of their day. After the event was over, each child received a photo book to commemorate the day and keep as a memento.
I – along with one other photographer – was actually assigned to travel around and photograph each group instead of staying with just one group, which was really neat since this was my first year being able to participate.
Here are some of the pictures I can share:
You can read all about the 2019 Disney Day Recap on the Together We Rise website, and find out more about their program there too.
While talking with my children about what I was going to be photographing, they just couldn’t fathom the fact that siblings are ever separated into different homes. I know there’s so many various scenarios and we talked through some. They were excited for these children and I think proud of their mama. I was glad to help foster love, if only for one day.
