Adoption

For Adrianna Stamps and her husband, the path to foster care began through heartache after experiencing four pregnancy losses tied to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Hesitant to undergo further fertility treatments, the couple began discussing fostering to adopt. While they initially struggled to reach a consensus, a phone call from a family friend invited them to an orientation meeting, setting ...

When Nathan and Kayla Buchanan talk about their decision to open their home to children in need, they point to a core set of values that guided them long before they received their first official placement. For Kayla Buchanan, children were a non-negotiable part of her future, no matter if they were biologically hers or not. When she met Nathan ...

Shanda and Julius Karow did not set out to become foster parents. When the couple completed their licensing paperwork 14 years ago with Arrow Child and Family Ministries, they intended to operate strictly as an adoptive home. Fourteen years later, the Karows have opened their home to 28 children, ranging from newborns to a 19-year-old mother who had a child ...

When JaDenise Jones first said yes to fostering she never imagined how much her life could change. Before joining 4Kids4Families, Jones worked at a high school with a student population serving students with special needs. She also worked as a school bus driver. According to Jones, this journey is what inspired her to apply to the Client Service Specialist position she ...

In a testament to the power of unconditional love, a medically fragile foster youth held on to life just long enough to experience the security of a permanent family, passing away peacefully on the very day his adoption was finalized. The journey began when Alyssa Sadler and her family stepped into foster care with a deep sense of purpose, opening ...

Kristy and Ryan Anderson always knew they wanted to foster or adopt. The conversation started while they were dating, fueled by their personal histories. Kristy was raised by a stepfather who loved her as his own and she spent seven years working in a neonatal intensive care unit caring for infants born addicted to drugs. Ryan grew up watching his ...

After spending more than 3,000 days in Texas foster care 15-year-old Michael celebrated a life-changing milestone! He was adopted into a loving forever family. Michael, over the years, has experienced 19 placements. Michael’s journey clearly has been one of resilience, strength and perseverance. Following the near decade of his foster care journey, he is now surrounded by a support system ...

The Association for Training on Attachment and Children (ATTACh) concluded its annual conference April 10. With the ATTACh Conference in the rearview, Arrow Child and Family Ministries is celebrating a week of collaborative learning and clinical presentation aimed at strengthening the foster care community. The conference, themed “Healing Connection: The Heart of the Matter,” brings together international professionals and caregivers ...

Generations United Grandfamilies and Kinship Support Network recently designated Arrow Child and Family Ministries a ‘nationally exemplary kinship practice.’ A designation which recognizes the organization’s commitment to keeping children with family and the intentional design of Arrow’s Kinship Straight Adopt (KSA) program. According to Arrow’s Senior Vice President of Texas Programs, Carolyn Bishop, the designation reflects the belief that family-first approaches ...

For some, the concept of a safe home is a given. For others, it is a hard-won reality. Kinley Gotcher is a Family Home Developer at Arrow. Gotcher brings a perspective that most do not: she lived the story she now helps others write. From the uncertainty of multiple placements to the life-changing moment of being adopted at 15, her ...