Last week one of my daughters participated in a theater camp at the Creative Arts Center.  In one week's time the kids wrote and performed their own play, titled "Tale of the Misfits."  In the story, a three year old girl, a six year old boy and an older girl were all looking for families to belong to.  Of course, I couldn't help but think of all of the real children I know of through my work at the Children's Center who are also looking for a "forever" home.

We have more than a dozen children from Fannin County who are in the custody of Child Protective Services and legally free for adoption.  The good news is that about half of these children have moved into homes that plan to adopt them once the six month waiting period and all of the required paperwork is completed.  But what about the other children who are waiting for a family to call their own? 

Across the state of Texas, there are more than 5,000 children in the custody of Child Protective Services who are legally free for adoption.  The website http://www.adoptchildren.org/ proclaims that "children never outgrow the need for parents" and I could not agree more. 

Over the last several years I have witnessed several school age children and even a few teenagers get adopted.  Just this week I read a wonderful book called "Three Little Words" which was written by Ashley Rhodes-Courter.  Ashley lived in many different foster placements, some not so nice, before she was adopted at the age of 12.  Her book gives readers an inside look into the foster care system and the process of adoption through the eyes of a child.  In Ashley's case, she found parents who were facing an empty nest after their two boys were grown.  Over time, her adoptive parents' determination to stay with her was one of the keys to her healing from the trauma and loss she suffered earlier in her life.

At the end of my daughter's play, the three children decide to form their own family with one another since their search for parents is not successful.  For Ashley and several other children and youth I know their dreams of finding a "forever family" do come true.  Are you someone who can make more dreams come true by providing a safe and loving home for a child or sibling group in foster care?

If so, you might want to start out by going to http://www.adoptchildren.org/.  There you will find information about the adoption process as well as some of the children who are available for adoption.  You can also come to an informational meeting on Tuesday, July 15 beginning at 6:30 pm at the Fannin County Children's Center at 112 West Fifth Street in Bonham.  Child Protective Services will be hosting the meeting and representatives from private foster and adoptive agencies should also be in attendance to give information and answer questions.

So, how are the children?  With more forever homes, they will be well.

Sandy Barber is the Executive Director of the Fannin County Children's Center.  She can be reached at sandy@fanninccc.org.