He Simply Needed “Someone to Show Him He Was Worth Loving.”

Often, children in foster care act out because they don’t know who they can trust. The trauma they’ve experienced, the reason they are in foster care, can be difficult for them to process. It takes time and love for children to heal and to move forward.

Six-year old Kareem was no exception this. Kareem came into Elaine’s home as a temporary respite placement, which means Kareen’s foster parents needed someone to care for him for a short time. That person was Elaine. When Kareem arrived, he didn’t trust Elaine. He acted out and he told her, “I will never get adopted. So many people say they will keep me, then they don’t want me anymore.”

Kareem suffered trauma prior to coming into foster care and the broken promise of adoption, of a family, continued to traumatize him. Elaine broke that cycle. She never gave up.

“Kareem was and is a child who needed someone to look past his actions, his behaviors, his outbursts, his exterior and see his heart. Someone to show him he is worth loving,” Elaine said of her now adopted son.

Today, after nearly 6 years in foster care, Kareem is living in a loving, supportive and permanent home after being adopted by Elaine.

Time and time again the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption hears stories of children who were told they were being adopted and it simply falls apart. Our adoption recruiters are working in adoption agencies across the United States and Canada to find homes for the children who need them most. Our recruiters work with older children, sibling groups, children with special needs and children who have had what’s called “failed adoptions.”

Our vision is simple. A loving family for every child.

Please consider joining us by visiting davethomasfoundation.org to learn more.