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Arizona — “CJ was in foster care for over eight years … He was done being in care. He was done with everything. He wanted a family,” Jessica (mom) shared. CJ was placed in foster due to abuse and neglect. And as a teenager in foster care, the clock was ticking for him.

Through the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption’s Wendy’s Wonderful Kids^® program, CJ met RJ, an adoption recruiter, with Aid to Adoption of Special Kids (AASK). RJ was dedicated to advocating for his needs on the path to legal permanency.

“There was a time where CJ and I, during the summer here in the state, it’s 115 degrees and we’re like, ‘Let’s go get a snow cone.’ And I’ll never forget — he would get a pickle flavored snow cone, literally pickle. And I’m like, ‘I didn’t even know that was a flavor.’ And I try it, and I’m like, ‘Wow, this is incredible.’ But he’s always been that kid that’s like, ‘I like whatever’s off the beaten path,’” RJ shared with a laugh.

Little moments like these made a big difference. As CJ and RJ continued to build a relationship, RJ was able to learn more about CJ’s needs, and CJ began to feel more comfortable opening up. He started to tell RJ about Henry, his best friend at school. Henry had spent time in foster care too, and he understood how CJ was feeling.

“Me and Henry were best friends, literally since like the first week of school,” CJ said. “I told him that I was in foster care and he was telling me about his mom. And I believe I asked him, like as a joke to see, I was like ‘You should tell your mom to adopt me or something.’”

But CJ was surprised when Henry really did bring the conversation to his mom Jessica.

“Henry immediately came home and said, ‘Mom, there’s another foster kid in my class. Can we adopt him?’” Jessica said.

“I wanted him to have the same experience as me because I didn’t really know much about like his past or anything, but I just knew that he deserves to have a happy childhood,” Henry shared.

Once RJ learned about Henry and Jessica, he reached out to learn more about them and their relationship with CJ.

“Just from the first conversation, CJ had a birthday coming up, and she was like, ‘Can I Venmo you some money so you can go and get him a birthday gift because we can’t be there for the birthday?’ I’m like, this is an incredible person. I mean, really cool,” RJ shared. He stayed in contact with Jessica, but she wasn’t ready to bring CJ into her home right away. “At the time, Jessica couldn’t do it because she was still working through the dynamics of her own family. We knew we had the right person, but it wasn’t the right time yet,” he added.

Jessica and her family hosted CJ for the holidays, and continued to serve as a support system for him. As they spent more time together, it became clear to everyone that this family was exactly what CJ needed. “They made me feel like I belonged because they didn’t leave, and whenever I was upset, we talked through it, and they wouldn’t stop caring,” CJ said. RJ worked with the family to make sure everyone had the resources they needed to bring CJ home.

At the same time, RJ was having important conversations with CJ about what permanency could look like for him. The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption’s Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program focuses on three types of legal permanency: adoption, legal guardianship and when safe, reunification with a biological parent. Wendy’s Wonderful Kids recruiters work to understand a child’s needs to find them the right family. They advocate for adoption first but support legal guardianship when it’s in the best interests of the child or situation.

“For CJ, after explaining both guardianship and adoption, I think he felt that guardianship was just the best avenue for him. He felt safest around that,” RJ explained.

“We talked about it, and I wanted to do guardianship because I still wanted my mom to have her rights,” CJ explained. In Arizona, a court does not have to terminate parental rights of biological parents in order for a legal guardianship to proceed.

With help from RJ and the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, CJ officially became part of the family at age 15 through legal guardianship.

The family continued to work through challenges that came up along the way … together. “The hard things were talking as a family and trying to get along, and bonding was sort of difficult. I wasn’t used to it. I haven’t had that for awhile, so I didn’t really know how,” CJ said.

“He calls me Jessica. And he’s like ‘You’re like a mom to me.’ He’ll say he has three moms,” Jessica said. “And I told him, ‘I don’t need to be called mom. I don’t need that validation. I need you to be part of family,'” Jessica said. “He’s my son, and I love him, and he’s an amazing kid.”

Jessica shared that no matter what happened, her priority was proving to CJ that she was going to be consistent for him, and she was not going to give up on him. She added that now, he talks about going to college or trade school — possibilities he never considered for his future when they met.

“Permanency guarantees tomorrow for a young person in foster care,” RJ said. “It’s the idea that when you go through your biggest breakup in your life, when you get fired from your first job, when you lose your apartment, when you’re broke, when you need to move home … when we have adoption or guardianship, in your darkest and brightest moments, this is always going to be your family.”

CJ is thriving with the love and support of his family. “When I think of Jessica, I think of a caring and loving mom, and it makes me feel just relieved that I have someone like that. And having Henry as a brother means a lot to me,” he shared. “Before legal guardianship, I felt just like there was no one who really cared about me. After legal guardianship, I felt happy, relieved and just like I have a lot of people who care about me.”

“We will always be there for each other because we’re brothers, and we’re friends,” Henry said. “He’s always going to be my little brother.”

If you have room in your home or in your heart, you can help a child, like CJ, waiting for a family right now. Explore ways to get involved and join our caring community that makes stories like these possible.