Siblings Make Life Sweeter
From spending holidays and vacations together to everyday moments, the bonds between siblings are pretty special. Siblings are often some of the first people we turn to in life’s challenging moments. For children who have been placed in foster care, those sibling bonds are especially important.
The Foundation’s Wendy’s Wonderful Kids® program helps to find safe, permanent families for the longest-waiting children in foster care — including older children, children with special needs and siblings at risk of being separated.
And sometimes, those permanent families lead to new sibling relationships that last a lifetime.
With support from our caring community, siblings like Christian and Brody, Levie and Athanial and Bridgett and Jacob are making special memories … together ❤️
“I missed Brody … I wanted to live with him,” Christian shared.
Like many siblings, Christian and Brody were separated after being placed in foster care. Brody was adopted at a young age, but Christian lingered in care.
When Christian was referred to the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program and met his adoption recruiter, Cyndi, she saw the bond between the siblings.
“It was always the first question — ‘When am I going to see Brody?’” Cyndi said.
When she discovered that Brody was adopted by Sean a few years earlier, she worked to find him and wondered if he could be Christian’s forever family too. She got to know Sean and Brody and arranged for Christian to visit.
One of those visits happened over the holidays. “Seeing the boys together on Christmas morning just melted my heart, and I knew that I needed to keep them together. It just felt like home,” Sean shared.
With help from Cyndi and our caring supporters, Christian was adopted at age 13. Christian even got to sit in the judge’s chair and tap the gavel. He described it as the “best day ever.”
“I have family — I feel happy with dad and Brody,” he shared.
Brothers Levie and Athanial spent years in foster care, often separated from one another. In the midst of all the uncertainty they experienced, one thing remained constant — their love and support for one another.
“We always knew no matter what … it was him and I versus the world,” Levie shared.
“The best way I could describe my brother is reliable,” Athanial added.
With help from Wendy’s Wonderful Kids, Athanial was adopted at age 16 by a loving family who had adopted Levie too.
Now, the siblings are experiencing special moments — from prom to joining hockey and soccer teams to visiting Lake Michigan.
“I feel really happy that I get to grow up in the same family as my brother,” Athanial shared.
Jacob still remembers the day his dad told him about Bridgett.
“He’s like, ‘We’re going to take this girl in. Her name’s Bridgett, and she’s very sweet, but it’s just going to be for two weeks,’” Jacob shared. Bridgett was in foster care and needed a safe place to stay over the upcoming holiday break.
Over time, everyone realized that this family was where Bridgett was meant to be. With help from our caring supporters, Bridgett was adopted at age 16.
Today, Jacob and Bridgett look forward to enjoying special moments together as siblings.
“I really do see just meeting up on Christmas and talking about old memories and talking about how it was just a random day in winter and Bridgett comes to our house,” Jacob shared with a laugh. “I call her my sister now.”
If you have room in your home or your heart, you can make a difference for children who are still waiting for a safe, permanent family. Explore ways to get involved and join our caring community that makes stories like these possible.
