Success Stories

When Valerie and Greg agreed to foster parent two little boys who had been neglected by their birth parents, the package included another significant relationship – a Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer for the children through UWCI’s partner agency, Child Advocates.

Andy, then three, and Jonathan, three months, were both about 30 percent behind in their development when they came to live with the couple. “I knew they had special needs, but I had no idea what they were or even where to get them tested,” Valerie explained.

Andy had never been on a potty. He was “socially isolated and had known hunger,” she recalled. The baby, Jonathan, had not been held, had never bonded with anyone, and had not gained weight or reached other normal milestones, she added.

The couple’s first priority was identifying the array of medical. Developmental, speech and emotional testing the boys needed. Treatments started soon thereafter.

Valerie said Joanne, the children’s advocate, “made sure the kids didn’t get lost in the system and made sure their well-being was paramount. What an incredible service to children.” Advocates become the eyes and ears for the presiding judge so when the court makes decisions about the future, the children’s needs are considered. Joanne visited the children in Valerie and Greg’s home and interviewed the couple along with others involved in their care. When the court decided a year and a half later that the boys were eligible for adoption by Valerie and Greg, Joanne, on behalf of Child Advocates, strongly approved the adoption.

Meanwhile, a sister, Hannah, was born. At six months old, the baby made no sound. Valerie recalled that Hannah “even cried with her mouth shut.” At times, her lips and fingers would turn blue. As a respiratory therapist, Valerie recognized signs that Hannah was not getting sufficient oxygen. Testing revealed a hole in her heart as well as a valve between her kidney and bladder did not close properly.

The birth mother’s continued mental illness meant she was incapable of getting Hannah the medical help she needed. That Valerie and Greg adopted her along with her brothers, “may have saved her life,” Joanne observed.

Today the children, Andy 10, Jonathan 7, and Hannah, 5, have caught up with kids their age and are thriving, Valerie reports. “I know these children are with us for a reason.” The children seem to know it, too. Once in church, when encouraged to name what he was thankful for, Andy answered: “I am thankful for my parents. They make sure I get everything I need.”

Joanne’s advocacy did not end with the adoption. She also advocated for the family to share their story. “The media reports so many cases of abused and neglected children who have been failed by the system,” Joanne said. “Some children get to have a happy ending. Those stories ought to be told.”

Source: United Way of Central Indiana
2003 Annual Report

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