AdoptUSKids is sharing stories from youth who have experienced foster care and their adoptive families. Through real-life experiences, challenges, and joys, these profiles highlight the heart of the adoptive journey.
Emma and Erin share their story in this profile, demonstrating how embracing one another can transform personal experiences into hope and action.
Speaking up, being heard: Emma and Erin share their adoption journey
“I was put on this path to educate CASA volunteers, judges, and others about the importance of including kids’ voices in the adoption process and to advocate for kids in care,” Emma said.
Before Emma became a fierce advocate for helping children in foster care find their voice, she was a teenager with a profile on the AdoptUSKids website.
Emma and her brother, Jake, were in foster care for six years when their caseworker invited them into her office to talk. She showed them a photo book of Erin, Ralph, and their three young boys, whom they had adopted as infants. Erin and Ralph saw the siblings’ AdoptUSKids profile and wanted to meet them. Emma and Jake agreed.
“I can’t put my finger on it, but something about their story spoke to me,” Erin recalled. “I kept going back to it.”
Wanting to learn more, Erin contacted a local agency. She and Ralph spent time going through boxes and boxes of records—files describing Emma and Jake from birth through their teenage years—and talking with workers and others who knew them.
“As we moved through the process, we were cautious. We knew that Emma and Jake were teens with their own thoughts and opinions, but we were not afraid. Before we ever met them, we spent months doing the research we needed to feel confident moving forward,” Erin said.
When they finally met, it was for a two-hour dinner. The evening went well, and it was followed by several weekend visits and sleepovers. Over time, everyone agreed they wanted to take the next steps toward becoming a family.
On December 26, 2014, Emma and Jake moved into their new home.
“Of course, there was some sadness leaving our friends and the area where we’d lived our whole lives,” Emma said. “But because we’d visited and seen them every weekend before moving in, becoming part of their family was easy.”
Emma and Jake were adopted in August the following year.
Emma, now 26, dedicates herself to supporting and advocating for kids and teens in foster care. She frequently shares her story as a member of the AdoptUSKids Speakers Bureau and is a Wendy’s Wonderful Kids recruiter, employed by the agency that facilitated her adoption.
In her work, Emma encourages young people to advocate for themselves. She reminds the caseworkers, judges, and other adults involved in their lives to listen when youth speak up.
“I tell my kids: ‘You are your biggest advocate. Use your voice. If you can’t speak for yourself, then I will,’” Emma said.
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Interested in taking the next step? Learn about becoming a foster parent or adopting from foster care.
