Do you have extra room in your heart and in your home for a child? If you think you have what it takes to become a parent or if you’d like to add another member to your family, you are needed. You are really needed. With more than 119,000 children waiting to be adopted nationwide, your love and care could make a world of difference. Whether it’s becoming a foster parent or adopting a child, the option is there for you to consider.
“Many families adopt children from other countries and I think that’s great, but, instead or in addition to, people should adopt children from the pool of Southern California kids who need a ‘forever family’ instead of being bounced from one foster home to the next year after year,” says Carlotta Levy, a Canyon County mother of 3 and mentor/recruiter for the Children’s Bureau. Founded more than 100 years ago, the bureau helps more than 9000 abused and neglected Southern California children and their families every year.
Levy is a firm believer in the program and an adoptive Mom as well. Levy and her husband were the parents of 2 biological boys and wanted to add a baby girl to their family.
“I wasn’t looking to save the world or a child for that matter. Actually, it was a bit selfish, because I really wanted a girl. When we took Moriah in as a foster child, she had a lot of medical issues so we call her our miracle child. We adopted her and now she is nine-years-old and very bright. The power of family and God is amazing,” says Levy.
She tells people who are considering adopting a child or becoming a foster parent to not be afraid. Couples or single people go through from three to nine months (like the length of a pregnancy) of training and counseling before become certified foster parents.
There are children out there who have been in group homes all of their lives and are aching for a real family, according to Levy who recently invited a teen who is without a family to her home for dinner.
“He asked our adopted daughter, ‘What does it feel like to be adopted? I really want that,” says Levy.
To which her daughter replied, “It’s great.”
The next two Children’s Bureau parent orientations are on February 22 and March 22 in Canyon Country. As their motto says, Children’s Bureau has been “Saving Children and Healing Society for 100 years.”
Who knows, the enriching experience of parenthood may be more than a gift for the child you help. It could change your life for the better, as well.
Call 661-272-9996 or toll free 800-730-3933, ext. 0### or visit www.all4kids.org to learn more or to print out an application.