Jessica
As the new year begins, I’m excited to celebrate a life-changing milestone: the finalization of my adoption of Sarah. I first met Sarah in 2019, when she was 10 years old and had already faced unimaginable loss and trauma. Sarah was part of The Wendy’s Wonderful Kids (WWK) Program, a child-focused recruitment model that helps find adoptive families for children in foster care. WWK is one of the funders for The Children’s Village Family Finding program.
I had the privilege of being Sarah’s therapist while she was placed at Andrus, a nonprofit dedicated to providing mental health care for youth. By the time I started working with Sarah, she had already lost her adoptive mother, father, and brother. Despite everything, she longed for a permanent family, and I felt a deep connection to her.
I’ve known since I was 13 that I wanted to adopt. My dad, who wasn’t my biological father, provided me with the love and stability I needed, and I wanted to give that same gift to someone else. After working with Sarah for over a year, I contacted The Children’s Village and told them, “I’m ready to move forward.” I left my job at Andrus and began making plans. Since I wasn’t working for a child welfare agency anymore, I started the adoption process about a year later.
In February 2023, Sarah moved in with me, and over the past few years, I’ve learned so much. I’m thrilled that the adoption process is nearly complete. Sarah is now 15, and she continues to grow and thrive. She’s active in school and involved in the Girls Leadership Council. She loves playing basketball, working out, and watching TV, and her dream is to become a doctor.
Though she still faces challenges, we work through them together. I remind her often, “You can be scared and still be brave. You can do it.” She recently attended an event called Black Doctors in White Coats and continues to stay focused on her goals. I’m incredibly proud of how far she’s come, and I’m excited for the bright future ahead for both of us.
The Children’s Village Family Finding Team works to find long lost family and build or maintain a family support network for all youth who are disconnected or at risk of alienation and lifelong estrangement, due to placement outside of their home and community. Since its inception, CV’s Family Finding program has served hundreds of young people throughout the NYC area.