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A case worker was told she couldn't adopt this foster girl. She waited 6 years until she could.

"It was important to me that she knew that she was wanted by somebody."

via ABC Action News
'It's never too late': 19-year-old who aged out of foster care adopted by her caseworker

Heartbreakingly, there are hundreds of thousands of kids in the United States in foster care and a severe shortage of willing and capable families willing to permanently adopt them. The situation might even seem hopeless for young kids as they start to get older and become less "desirable" to adopt. But it's never too late to find your family. That's the heartwarming message being shared by Leah Paskalides and the daughter she adopted in 2021, then-19-year-old Monyay.

But this is no ordinary adoption story.

At the age of 11, Monyay was placed into a foster care group home. The pain of having to go through life without a family was always difficult, but it hit hard in her senior year of school. "My senior year is when I went through one of those, 'I don't want to do it anymore, I'm done,'" she told ABC News.

Monyay finished school a year early and took the extra time to focus on volunteering with foster children like her. But she faced a tough road ahead, as she was about to turn 18 and officially age out of the system.

According to the Children's Home Society of Minnesota, the 23,000 children who age out of foster care every year without families face many challenges. There are very few support systems in place for these now-adults. Without the watchful eye and help of their foster family and case workers, only 3% earn a college degree, half will develop a substance abuse problem, 60% of boys are convicted of crimes, and 70% of girls become pregnant before the age of 21.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

After Monyay turned 18, it looked like she would have to enter the real world as an adult without any support. But then her caseworker and mentor from the Safe Children Coalition stepped up.

Leah had always wanted to adopt Monyay but it was a conflict of interest with her work.

"She always said, 'I wish you could adopt me, wish you could adopt me,' and I couldn't because of the job and then I was watching a documentary where the person had been adopted as an adult, and I had never really heard of it," Leah said.

So she decided to adopt Monyay as her adult daughter. "It was important to me that she knew that she was wanted by somebody, that somebody loved her," Leah told Fox 13. "I could say that as many times as I want, but actions speak louder than words."

On Tuesday, April 27, 2021, a judge signed the paperwork making the adoption official.

"Being told 'no' so many times, to hear that 'yes' and to hear them pronounce her as my mom, it's something that's like, oh my gosh, this is for real," Monyay told Fox 13.

As part of the adoption proceedings, the question lingered as to what last name Monyay would like. When the 18-year-old announced it would be "Paskiledes," both mom and new-daughter began sobbing.

adoption, foster care, adoption stories, orphans, foster parents, adoptees, family, kids, children, adults, moms, motherhood Something about adult adoptions really has us crying like this. Giphy

"I would have adopted her six years ago, it was held back emotions that just came out," Leah told People.

The pair's story captured hearts all over the world when news and other media began sharing their tale.


- YouTube www.youtube.com

"A family is made of love. Love knows NO color or age. Congratulations," a YouTube commenter wrote.

"This will bring so much healing to the young lady. There's something about being wanted and knowing that someone wants you and loves you exactly as you are. That's what our parents are supposed to give us before we learn to give it to ourselves," added another.

The funny thing is the two didn't hit it off at first. Years ago, when Leah was first assigned her case, Monyay didn't like her. "She told me what she was going to be doing and helping me out with my case, and I didn't like her; she'll tell you that," said Monyay.

But over the past nine years, the two forged an unbreakable bond.

"She was very motivated and had aspirations for a future, and so I knew she just needed support," Leah said. "She was always a kid that did not deserve to go through life without a support system of a family."

This article originally appeared four years ago. It has been updated.


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Family opens a free clothing store for foster kids after realizing they own virtually nothing

via Blossom/Facebook

Blossom in Glennville, Georgia.

When most people think about foster children they lament the fact that they have no parents. When, in most cases, the problem is much worse, they have nothing. No friends. No family. No belongings.

When the police remove a child from an abusive home, the child’s things aren’t the biggest priority. In other cases, a caseworker shows up at a child’s home for removal and they only have a few minutes to grab a few things—whatever fits in a plastic bag.

Linda Durrence, 51, from Glennville, Georgia wants the foster children in her community to have something for themselves.

In December 2016, she and her husband lost their 27-year-old daughter in a car accident. After their tragic loss, the Durrences and their two remaining daughters began attending a church in Glennville. The daughters soon became friends with three girls that were being fostered by another family at the church.

However, in 2018, the sisters were set to be moved to separate foster homes.

The oldest of the three sisters turned 18 and left the foster care system, so the Durrences took in the two younger daughters to watch over them until they could be reunited with their grandparents in Florida. After getting settled in their new home, the sisters begged the Durrences to stay with them because they were tired of moving around. In 2019, the Durrrences adopted the two girls.

As the sisters settled into the Durrences home, Linda couldn’t get over the image of them coming to her doorstep carrying nothing but trash bags.

"The first thing that broke my heart was that they came with a trash bag that wasn’t even halfway full with clothes that didn’t fit them," Durrence told Fox 5 Atlanta. "They had one hairbrush. They did each have a toothbrush, but they only had like a trial size thing of toothpaste. They had no shampoo, no conditioner, no nothing."

"It just kept staying on my mind," she said, noting that her family was “financially blessed” to give them what they need. However, she wondered about other families and their foster children.

"What about the families that can’t go out and buy them what they need?" Durrence said. "Just the bare minimum, the necessities."

Durrence had been thinking about opening a store for children in need for quite some time and eventually bought up a storefront at a small shopping mall. The store runs on donations and allows fostered, adopted or less fortunate children to shop for free.

Shoppers can make an appointment and if the store has clothes their size, they can get up to seven free sets of clothes and shoes every quarter. They can come by the store more often if they have a major change in size.

Durrence says she named the store after her two adopted daughters.

"We watched them blossom and that’s where the name came from," Durrence said. "And what our hope is, is with Blossom, that it goes far beyond just kids coming to get clothes." She hopes to add an education center to the store to help foster kids keep up with their educational goals and services for parents to help them raise their families.

You can follow Blossom on Facebook.

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The first concert of Taylor Swift's new tour was an epic night for these kids.

Are you a Taylor Swift devotee?

If so, you already know that the artist whose most earnest pop songs you belt out at karaoke is about to embark on a huge tour in Spring 2018. And if not — you probably still know.

Thanks to a load of publicity about the tour's kickoff, all of us probably know at least something about Swift's upcoming worldwide extravaganza — such as that she's using something called a "rocket sled" to torpedo herself from one side of backstage to another. Sounds terrifying. But hey, she's the professional.

Swift's first show of the tour was done for a select group of VIPs — a very special group of superfans.

On May 5, Swift played a private show in Arizona.  The attendees, all of whom had been sworn to secrecy, were 2,000 local foster kids and their families. And if you're thinking, "oh my god," let me assure you that's what was running through the invitees' minds as they opened the email from Arizona Association for Foster and Adoptive Parents (AZAFAP).

"We first thought this was a spam [email] or something," Janine Waldera tells me. She took her grandchildren, whom she's adopted, to the show. When she accepted the invite, she says, she also agreed to abide by strict rules of confidentiality. No phones, no cameras, and no telling anyone about the specifics of the show. (So if you came to this post looking for a setlist, friend, stay for the feels instead.)

Photo by Janine Waldera, with permission.

The show itself? Like nothing anyone expected. AZ Central reports that concert-goers were greeted with tables of snacks and drinks at the University of Phoenix stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Then Swift came out, said hello, and asked if anyone would mind if she did her entire two-hour show. Unsurprisingly, everyone held their peace.

"It was overwhelming to see so many people that came," Waldera told AZ Central. "[Swift] told all of us that we had more energy than if the stadium was filled and a sold-out concert. Kids were so excited, screaming, dancing, and they let everybody walk around."

But no one had seen anything yet: Swift, who's been a lighting rod in popular culture  ("do we love her or do we hate her?" seems to be the concept behind her latest album) had a few more surprises. After giving the kids and their families even more sugar — she served pizza and brownies and, oh my god, this show sounds amazing because do you know how much that stuff costs at the stadium? — she took the time to meet with everyone. In the parking lot, AZ Central reports, Swift's parents handed out souvenirs.

The concert was may more than just entertainment.

Sure, the kids had a great time with Swift, but they also got to meet other kids who have had similar experiences. And the invitation, AZAFAP president Kris Jacober told reporters, was "like a miracle." One that's especially poignant in May — National Foster Care Month.  

"The association's been around for 13 years," she said, "and nobody has ever made us an offer like this. I know this doesn’t happen every day. We just are deeply appreciative of her kindness toward our families."

Swift was sending an important message with her show: Foster families deserve to be seen and recognized.  

Waldera tells me that one of the best parts of the evening was families making connections with each other. "It was a great way of networking with other families," she says. As for the kids? "It's a memory my children will always cherish."

"There was no way we could have afforded to take our children to this amazing concert," she enthuses. "Taylor was so generous with her time, and she made all the kids there feel like they were rock stars!"

Photo courtesy of Janine Waldera.

Call it what you want (isn't that a Taylor Swift song?), but the night was truly magical. And even if you aren't a fan of her music, we can all be fans of the fact that Taylor Swift is an artist who gives back to the community.

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Foster kids deserve better. These dads know it. So Ellen helped them out.

Guests on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" often get neat surprise gifts for their selfless deeds, and it's not all that rare for there to be some tears, too.

But some guests and their stories are really something special.

Rob and Reece Scheer — a Maryland couple DeGeneres calls the "dads of the year" — started a nonprofit called Comfort Cases to help kids in foster care. When they sat down with DeGeneres to share their powerful story, it became clear just how much these two dads' life work truly matters for thousands of kids who don't get the love and care they deserve.

As she often does, DeGeneres ended the interview by giving Rob and Reece two well-deserved gifts that left the couple downright speechless.

Watch the emotional clip from "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" below:

If Rob and Reece's story sounds familiar, that may be because they were profiled in an Upworthy video that went viral back in February.

The couple started Comfort Cases to make sure kids in foster care have things to call their own.

The nonprofit provides new duffel bags and backpacks to kids in foster care filled with items they can bring with them wherever they go — pajamas, a soft blanket, a book, stuffed animals, a hygiene kit, and more — so they aren't forced to rely on trash bags to carry their belongings, like many are forced to do.

Right now, Comfort Cases provides services to kids in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. But seeing how great the need is — over 670,000 kids spent time in foster care in the U.S. in 2015 — they hope to eventually take their cause across all 50 states.

At the end of the interview, DeGeneres gave Rob and Reece the most incredible gift of all: a check for $10,000, as well as $40,000 worth of luggage courtesy of Samsonite.

Needless to say, Rob and Reece were over the moon.

GIF via "The Ellen DeGeneres Show"/YouTube.

To learn more about Comfort Cases, visit the organization's website.

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