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New York — From a young age, Emilie’s life was impacted by foster care and adoption. At six years old, her parents adopted two of her brothers from Poland. When her parents got divorced, her mother became a foster parent, opening their home to children in need. 

Emilie’s family grew to 10 siblings, eight of whom are adopted from foster care or internationally. For her, foster care and adoption were and are part of her everyday life. 

“(My mom) worked in child welfare, so it was something that she was called to do through what she saw at work,” said Emilie. “Growing up, she was very honest with us about the foster care process and the adoption process and explained to us that it’s not easy and so not everybody is able to do it and that’s okay. But since our family is able to do it, we should help kids and their families.” 

Emilie’s childhood truly shaped who she became as an adult, inspiring her to not only become a social worker but also to foster and adopt.  

“I always joke that I was raised to become a social worker. I went to art school and then decided that I missed working with people too much,” explained Emilie. “I ended up back in a social work program, and I’ve been doing it ever since.” 

At the child welfare agency Emilie worked for, some of her colleagues were Wendy’s Wonderful Kids recruiters. These recruiters 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.  

And that is how Emilie, and her husband John, met Merriah. 

Megan, Merriah’s Wendy’s Wonderful Kids recruiter and Emilie’s coworker, wanted her to have advocates in her corner. Megan knew Merriah needed someone who could match her personality. 

“Initially, it was just telling stories about kids on our caseload and bouncing ideas off one another, trying to come up with creative plans for expanding their networks,” shared Emilie. “(John and I) stepped forward to do that … taking her (Merriah) out to do stuff together and talk.” 

As time went on, the couple continued to connect with Merriah through community activities and visits, where she started to open up and share things about her life. For the first time in a long time, Merriah was starting to trust.  

Eventually, the foundation of trust that Emilie and John built with Merriah grew into an unbreakable bond. Just before Merriah turned 15, Emilie and John stepped forward to become the permanent, loving family that she needed.  

“I think for a long time, we didn’t necessarily see the true Merriah until that stability kicked in,” shared Emilie. “It has been so awesome to see her be okay with being vulnerable and trying new things and opening up to people. That’s probably been one of the best parts of being her parent, is seeing her really become her true self now that she doesn’t have to worry about some of those other things.” 

Emilie’s message to those considering opening their hearts and homes to a teenager is simple: see a kid as a kid. 

“A teenager is still a kid … just remembering that they need a parent and thinking of yourself at that age. I think of myself when I was 13, 14 years old, and how naive I still was,” reflected Emilie. “I think that’s the main thing is just to see kids as kids without all the labels. Just see a kid as a kid.” 

Whether you are an adoption professional, a prospective parent or someone interested in learning more about the process, our free, step-by-step adoption guide is a valuable resource to help you make a difference in the life of a child. Download your copy.