There are over 100,000 kids for adoption in foster care right now. Making the decision to foster requires heavy consideration. Kelly Stine and her husband understood that ever since they began talking about starting their family. Before they had biological kids they considered fostering but decided that they wanted to wait until they had clear signs that they could handle it.

Becoming Licensed

The day came when the motivation and sense of preparedness struck Kelly. She couldn’t shake the thought of starting to foster so she decided to tell her husband that night. To her joyous surprise, he had felt the same way! They came to the conclusion that they wanted to start the process of becoming licensed. The very next day they enrolled in training classes at the Bair Foundation. And once they had the capability they began fostering.

The Stine family cared for two siblings before they set a court date. The morning of the court date Kelly had the sudden urge to write down all her feelings and hopes that she wanted to share with the children’s birth mother. Before the hearing she shared the letter with the birth mother. They embraced each other as they both cried their hearts out. The family had built a relationship with the birth mother and wished to continue it even after the hearing.

The Big Day

On June 10, 2020 the Stine family officials became the legal custodians of the siblings. The family, including the birth mother, went to celebrate. They shared stories and photos and enjoyed that moment together. The children’s bio mom had expressed how glad she was to know that her children were in a home where they could be given the right opportunities. She appreciated the Stine family because they embraced her children from the start.

Allow Room For Forgiveness

Throughout the entire journey, Kelly learned many things. Foremost, immerse yourself in the journey. Be open to change and forgiveness. No two journeys that are the same so be prepared to handle every new situation. Also, appreciate those around you. Your support system and family are there for you and you have to remember to appreciate them.

In Conclusion

Thank you Kelly Stine for sharing such your incredible story of finding kids for adoption through foster care. For those who are in the process of fostering to adopt, Foster Love - Together We Rise offers free adoption day photography through our Framing Forever program. Click here for more information!