Texas — For more than three years, Isaiah, Jordan and Sophia lingered in foster care after enduring physical abuse and neglect as their biological parents struggled with substance use. The siblings bounced from house to house, often separated from one another.
“When I was in foster care, I had a lot of responsibilities, like taking care of Jordan and Sophia. I had to watch out for them and help them and stuff like that,” recalled Isaiah.
Thankfully, they were reunited and adopted by Shane and Adrian with support from the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and their Wendy’s Wonderful Kids recruiter, Anna.
Through our Wendy’s Wonderful Kids®, the Foundation supports the hiring of adoption professionals, known as recruiters, who are dedicated to finding permanent families for children in foster care who are too often overlooked. That includes teenagers, children with special needs and siblings.
When Isaiah, Jordan and Sophia first moved into Shane and Adrian’s home, they thought it would just be a temporary foster placement. But after hearing the children’s story from Anna, Shane and Adrian made it their goal to keep the siblings together … forever.
“We had big family dinners to really get to know everybody, and you really bond really quickly with the kids that way,” shared Shane. “And, at that point it was just, ‘It’s 100%. We’re going to adopt these kids at some point.’”
Throughout the adoption process, Anna ensured that Isaiah, Jordan and Sophia felt comfortable, seen and heard.
“Anna helped me to stop overthinking about not getting adopted. She helped me with believing that I will get adopted eventually,” said Isaiah.
Finally, in 2021, a house became a safe, loving and permanent home for the siblings.
With Shane and Adrian by their side, Isaiah, Jordan and Sophia get to experience many special firsts. They enjoy exploring the world. For the siblings, some of their favorite trips have been to Barcelona, Spain, Sequoia National Park and Disneyland.
“We’ve done everything from the beaches to the mountains. We’ve seen big cities. We’ve gone to the swamps. We’ve seen everything,” said Shane.
Adoption has also given the siblings an opportunity to dream about their future. Isaiah is considering college, Jordan is looking into pursuing the arts, and Sophia plans to be, as she says, the “queen of the castle.”
“For our family, adoption means that our children don’t have to worry one more second about when they’re going to be asked to leave or what bed they will sleep in next,” shared Adrian. “They know that they have a home for life.”
Every child deserves a safe, loving and permanent home. Discover ways you can donate to help give siblings, like Isaiah, Jordan and Sophia, who are still waiting in foster care the best possible opportunity for a bright future and the chance to grow up … together.
