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The Foundation originally shared Conner’s adoption story in August 2021. We caught up with him in August 2024 to hear how having the support of a permanent, loving family changed his journey. 

North Carolina – Placed in foster care when he was 7 years old, Conner spent nearly half of his young life longing for a permanent place to call home. 

“I moved a bunch. I really didn’t want to move that much. I didn’t think I could have a family,” said Conner. 

Fortunately, Conner’s journey changed when he met his Wendy’s Wonderful Kids® adoption recruiter, Jennifer. When Conner had lost hope, Jennifer never gave up in her search for the right family for him. She was an advocate for Conner when he had few people that he could count on. 

Through our Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption supports the hiring of recruiters, like Jennifer, who serve children in foster care who are too often overlooked, including teenagers, children with special needs and siblings. A rigorous, five-year national evaluation revealed that a child referred to the program is up to 3x more likely to be adopted. 

With Jennifer’s help, Conner was introduced to James and Jayme. The couple and their two children, Corbin and Savannah, welcomed Conner with open hearts. 

James was adopted from foster care at a young age, so he understands more than most how important having a permanent family is to a child lingering in foster care. 

“Because of my personal experience, adoption was an early conversation for us,” said James. “It just so happens that Conner was the first child we met through the process. It felt like the perfect fit for our family … and the perfect fit for Conner. It’s honestly like he was supposed to be with us.” 

Conner was adopted at 12 years old through Wendy’s Wonderful Kids and now has the support and security he deserves. 

“Before he was adopted, the furthest out he could plan was, ‘Am I going to have a family?’ That was where his future stopped. Once that question was finally answered, he was able to think about his future … all the way,” reflected Jayme. 

An Update to Conner’s Story 

With his forever family, Conner has had the freedom to dream big.  He is now 16 years old and thriving at home, in school and in sports. He also has a heart for helping others, including volunteering at a camp for autistic and disabled children.

“He has gotten very into running and was on the school’s cross country, winter track and spring track teams,” said Jayme.  

Conner aspires to attend college one day and earn a master’s degree so that he can design and build cars. 

Conner’s story has a happy outcome, but every year, tens of thousands of young people age out of foster care in the United States without a permanent family. Download our free, step-by-step guide to get started on your adoption journey.