Spotsy family wants to help youngsters
Fredericksburg to celebrate adopting from foster care
BY AMY FLOWERS UMBLE
Date published: 11/16/2007
By Flowers Umble
BY AMY FLOWERS UMBLE
This year, the Lowe family won't be plucking angels off the Salvation Army's angel tree.
They used to provide Christmas presents for children listed on the tree to teach their own kids the importance of giving to the needy.
But then Tiffany and John Lowe did more than just adopt kids for the holiday season. They picked up some permanently.
The Lowes became one of 19 foster families with the Fredericksburg Department of Social Services.
The agency will hold an event tomorrow to celebrate the families who adopt children through its foster system. Social workers also hope to raise awareness so they can find families for nine Fredericksburg children who are waiting for an adoptive home.
In her pre-adoption days, Tiffany Lowe, now 42, pictured her future straight out of a Pottery Barn catalog.
She was well on her way there: a military husband; two fair-haired, blue-eyed kids--a boy and a girl; and a house filled with antiques and other nice furniture.
Now, the couch is from eBay, the table from the Ikea discount section and the walls are covered with an extensive Pez collection, kids' artwork, daily schedules and scrapes in the paint.
The children have grown by three--two biracial, one African-American..
They won't be featured in the pricey home decorating catalog anytime soon. But Tiffany says reality is much better than her fantasy.
A DIFFICULT YEAR
The Lowes moved to Spotsylvania County three years ago and wanted to help children without families. They had volunteered with Court Appointed Special Advocates in Texas and thought about continuing that work.
They couldn't find the area CASA and headed to the Fredericksburg Department of Social Services to see how else they could help. The Lowes thought they might just provide temporary emergency care for foster kids.
They took in their first children about eight months after signing up. The trio of siblings arrived with a brown box each.
The middle child, a 6-year-old boy, crouched in a fetal position by the social worker's car.
The girl immediately ran to Tiffany and asked, "Are you my new mom?"
Tiffany's heart melted. She thought they'd made an instant family. She would later learn the question indicated severe attachment issues.
It was a difficult first year.
| ABOUT ADOPTION DAY
National Adoption Day began eight years ago as an effort to promote adoptions from foster care. The day's goals include:
Finalize adoptions from foster care in all 50 states
Celebrate all families that adopt
Raise awareness about foster children waiting for adoption
Encourage others to adopt from foster care
Build collaboration among local adoption agencies, courts and advocacy groups.
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513,000: Approximate number of children in foster care in the United States
114,000: Foster children available for adoption
3: Years the average child waits for an adoptive family
21: Percent of kids available for adoption who wait five years or more for a family
8: The average age of a child waiting for a family
24,407: Children who reach age 18 without an adoptive family
19: Current foster families through the Fredericksburg Department of Social Services
20: Foster children in the city with the goal of permanent adoption
9: Foster children available for adoption who are not in an adoptive home
--nationaladoptionday.org and Natalie Newton, senior social worker at Fredericksburg City Department of Social Services.
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| LOCAL CELEBRATION
The city of Fredericksburg's Department of Social Services will celebrate Adoption Day with a ceremony starting at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow at the city's Circuit Court.
Nicholas Hosmer's adoption will be finalized and Anne Holton, the wife of Gov. Tim Kaine, will talk about the importance of adoption.
A trolley will then take families to Fredericksburg Baptist Church for lunch and activities.
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Date published: 11/16/2007
Most recent reader comments:
con-fi-den-ti-al-it-y
(posted by
VA_lover
, Nov. 16, 2007 10:06 pm)  
Way to protect the privacy of foster kids and their biological families...
This is wonderful
(posted by
shortydeane
, Nov. 16, 2007 7:48 am)  
To have such a big heart, warm home to offer these children who have been through enough as it is. Some of these children have disabilities and broken hearts that are hard to imagine. To have the love, patience and willing ness to re-arrange your life/family to care full time for these children is a true miracle. God bless you and all these kids. It's nice that the FLS shared such a wonderful story. :)
So happy
(posted by
chix0r
, Nov. 16, 2007 7:19 am)  
I know this family personally and they are one of the most beautiful families you'll ever meet. What a pleasure it is to see them showcased like this! Thanks FLS!
Free Lance Star deserves accolades
(posted by
GOUSA
, Nov. 16, 2007 4:03 am)  
for its frequent highlighting of foster families and adoptive children. They emphasize the human side of the situation. Please look at the room in your homes to decide if you can lend help to a needy child as a foster or adopting family.
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