Adrian and Nicole were two ambitious college kids in Oregon ready to graduate and take on the world of public education. As special education teachers, they quickly learned that teaching extended far beyond books and learning. Each child came into their classroom with unique needs that never seemed to be met in the few hours a day they had with them. After teaching for several years and having two biological children, Adrian and Nicole decided it was time to meet the needs of a child beyond the classroom and took the “exciting, and sometimes scary, leap to become a foster family.”
So often you, we hear sad stories about how children in foster care are not only removed from their parents care but are often separated from their siblings due to a lack of space or financial constraints. 11 years ago Adrian and Nicole opened their home and welcomed their first foster child. Their caseworker would call six more times. Each call with exciting news, there was going to be a new sibling, could they foster him or her? The answer was always, “yes.”
“Being a foster family is about love, kindness, and caring for children but it’s also about sacrifice and loss and a great deal of flexibility,” Nicole told Foster Angels. Adrian and Nicole not only provided a warm home, with love and kindness but there has been much sacrifice. Nicole left her job as a special education teacher to meet the needs of every child living in her home.
On May 6, 2016 Adrian and Nicole adopted their seventh child, Charlotte, the youngest of the siblings. They joke they are a “foster fail” as they have adopted every child they have fostered. Charlotte now has her forever home and Adrian and Nicole have another beautiful daughter.
In a system where abuse and neglect are the norm, Adrian and Nicole are a story of hope. A story of love and commitment. A story to remind us that in a world of abuse and neglect, the foster care system also has successes. This family is one.
