Success Stories
She Skated Into Their Lives
Christina met her daughter-to-be at a roller skating party sponsored by the National Adoption Center. Alma, then 13, had never gone skating before and was timid about taking her first step onto the rink. But her social worker encouraged her, and before long, she was smiling, slowly inching away from the rail. Christina kept watching her from the sidelines. "She's sweet and beautiful," she thought, "just the child we've been waiting for."
Christina and her husband, David, had been married for three years when they began to talk about adopting. Christina is a reading specialist and school counselor, studying for her doctorate degree in special education. David is a videographer and television producer. They were not interested in a baby; they loved teenagers and felt that an older child would be better suited to their lifestyle.
Alma had come to this country from Mexico when she was three, and after living with her grandmother for several years, became part of the foster care system. She had ricocheted among ten foster homes and yearned for a permanent family, a family like Christina & David.
After taking classes and filling in reams of papers, going through security and background checks, David finally met Alma. And for the second time in his life, he fell in love. "We went swimming and I did a handstand in the pool to make her laugh," David says. "I made a total fool of myself in public for her, but I didn't care. I was so happy."
It took four months for Alma to join their family and another six until the adoption was finalized. That poignant moment was filmed by NBC10 and taped by KYW Newsradio. Both stations had aired features on Alma when she was waiting for a family. They were overjoyed to be part of her success story!
From Foster Parents to Adoption
Emmanuel and Jerrie had been foster parents for 5 years when Ronia came into their lives. Ronia, a 9 year old girl who loved singing, dancing and cheerleading, had appeared on the Freddie Mac Foundation's Wednesday's Child feature on NBC10 in the Philadelphia area in August, 2004. But Jerrie and Emanuel were not watching. And when Ronia was placed with their family in foster care, they were not aware that she needed to be adopted.
Ronia had been with them about a year when the social worker mentioned to Jerrie that they were looking for a permanent adoptive family for Ronia. Jerrie and Emmanuel quickly decided that the agency did not need to look any further. They were ready to be that permanent family for Ronia. The adoption was finalized in August, 2005, one year after Ronia's Wednesday's Child television debut.
Jerrie and Emmanuel not only adopted Ronia. They also chose to adopt 2 more children who were in foster care in their home. Their adoptions were finalized the same year as Ronia's. Now there are 5 children in the family, including two birth children. The oldest is 15 and the youngest is only a few months old.
Ronia's new name is Adara (rhymes with Sara). When Adara's second Wednesday's Child show was featured on NBC10, it was a success story about a happy family. Jerrie, Emmanuel, and their other children were all participants. When the show aired on February 22, 2006, they enjoyed watching it together.
What's the best thing about being a foster or adoptive parent? Jerrie answers without a moment's thought: "Seeing the happiness of the kids." How would she describe the whole experience? "It's a lovely thing."
Story written by Becky Birtha as told by Jerrie