Mississippi
After Kameca’s friend opened her and Jamar’s eyes to the great need for foster-to-adopt families, the couple sought to find a way to create permanency for children in foster care.
Wendy’s Wonderful Kids recruiter, Kenyata, was looking for a forever family for Niyah and Elias — siblings who were placed in Mississippi’s foster care system as infants. Kenyata could see that Kameca and Jamar were the right fit.
After fostering for a year, Kameca and Jamar were able to move forward with adopting Niyah and Elias in 2017 and a house officially became a home.
Kameca feels that becoming a team with Niyah and Elias is the most precious gift that she and Jamar have ever been given.
Three years later, the Foundation reconnected with the family, who now lives in Texas, to see how they were doing.
Kameca says Niyah has grown to become her mini best friend, and one of the most courageous, big-hearted and sharp little girls you will ever meet. “She’s our little reporter,” explains Kameca. “She’s going to keep you up on things. She’s very caring, very nurturing.”
Elias has always been goofy and outgoing. Kameca says he gets their family through life and has taught them so much about love. No matter the moment and despite all he has been through, Elias remains cheerful and lighthearted.
Reflecting on the day they brought the children home, Jamar remembers that Niyah and Elias were timid at first. “When they walked in the house, and they saw their room, they were like, ‘This is mine? This is my bed? This is my room?’” All the couple could do was reassure them that it was put together just for them, and that from that day on, they would always have a safe place to land and call their own. And that stability really opened them up.
The family has grown so much as a team. Each night at dinner, they have a family talk, where the children share about their day, giving them a chance to sort through their feelings and learn to express them. They want Niyah and Elias to feel empowered to find their voices at every table.
The support of a permanent family will empower the siblings to be whatever they want to be.
And the parents’ lives have forever changed for the better, too.
Jamar says the adoption journey has made him a better man. Kameca adds, “I didn’t understand what love really was until I met my children.”
Jamar and Kameca know that even though the children may have had a rough start, they will finish strong. As a team. Together.
And we think that is a team we can all keep rooting for.
Fortunately, Niyah and Elias’ story has a happy outcome. But thousands of children are still waiting to be adopted from foster care in the United States right now. If you are interested in adoption or looking to learn more about the process, explore the Foundation’s free, step-by-step guide.
