National Adoption Day Celebrates "Forever" Family Connections

While they have essentially been a family for years now, Vanessa McNeal and daughters Summer and Megan are going to make it official this November as part of National Adoption Day. 

Recognizing that children never outgrow the need for family and a permanent sense of belonging, Franklin County Children Services - along with the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and the Franklin County Probate Court, will honor National Adoption Day on Wednesday, November 8, by celebrating the finalization of adoptions of seven children from foster care.

As a longtime foster parent for Buckeye Ranch, McNeal - better known as “Mama V” - has welcomed dozens of children into her southeast Columbus home throughout the years. This retired preschool teacher has always been passionate about helping children, so becoming a foster parent in 2008 made perfect sense. 

“It’s my purpose in life,” McNeal says.

Summer, 10, and Megan, 15, have known Mama V for years and are both overjoyed to officially become her daughters. 

Summer, an energetic and chatty fourth grader, has lived with McNeal since she was 5 and clearly adores her. “She’s really nice and she’s always there for me whenever I need her,” Summer says. 

Megan, a soft-spoken high school sophomore who wants to eventually attend Ohio State and become a registered nurse, says she appreciates that Mama V will always be looking out for her. “She wants to see me do the best and whenever I need to talk about my problems or vent, she’s always there to listen,” Megan says. 

As for McNeal, she is grateful that Summer and Megan will always be part of her family - her two “forever” daughters.  

“I just love those girls,” she says. “I want to see them get the best they can get out of life. I’m here to coach and guide them through, and to be their support and their friend. They can come and talk to me always, any time.”

Thinking about adoption?

The FCCS Adoption Team has made it easier for families to virtually meet some of the children seeking a permanent home. Profiles of the teens approved for adoption here in Franklin County - and more information for families who want to consider becoming adoptive parents - can be found on the FCCS website at www.fccs.us/adoption. 

Location: Columbus, OH, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

First Forever Family Funfest Celebrates Power of Permanency

Image
Celebrating the nearly 300 children who found “forever homes” over the past year through adoption or finalization of a kinship placement, Franklin County Children Services hosted its first Forever Family Funfest. “When children can no longer safely remain in their parents’ custody, they deserve to have the permanent sense of belonging that comes with finding a family,” said Raquel Breckenridge, Family Service Director for Permanency. “And we want to celebrate those lasting connections.” Over the past year, more than 100 children and teenagers who were in the agency’s care found their forever homes through adoption. In addition, almost 200 children were permanently placed with family relatives - grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, or adult siblings - or close family friends such as teachers and coaches, church members, or neighbors. Dozens of those children and teens who found their forever homes through adoption or permanent kinship placement, along with their families and caregiv...
Read more

FCCS Volunteers Comfort, Care for Children during Crisis

Image
As a volunteer in Franklin County Children Services’ Crisis Center, Michalle DiGiovine fondly recalls dining on “pretend food” and playing “restaurant” with a promising culinary staff of five young children as they tried out recipes prepared on a plastic range.  “It felt good that they could come to me - a stranger - to pretend and laugh a little,” she said, remembering how she connected with the youngsters, all the under the age of 10, who had just endured an extremely traumatic experience at home. As January is National Mentoring Month, it’s a great time to recognize the Crisis Center volunteers who help protect children by allowing them to escape from tumultuous situations for a time and feel safe and cared for.  Mentors and volunteers play an important role at FCCS in surrounding children who come into the agency’s care with kindness and support, letting children know they are not alone. It’s part of the agency’s strategy to protect the “whole” child - mind, body, and hear...
Read more

Creating Forever Families, FCCS Caseworker Celebrates 500th Adoption

Image
Finding lifelong, lasting family connections for children is all in a day’s work for adoptions assessor Liska Hall, a 26-year veteran at Franklin County Children Services. And in March, this exceptional child welfare professional reached a remarkable milestone, facilitating her 500th adoption.  “I have loved being able to provide permanence for 500 kids,” she said.  “I love that I will be the last social worker that they will have and that they will go on and have typical lives without caseworkers involved. I love it when the family is so happy and excited about the adoption and that this child is now theirs, forever!”   Going into the child welfare field made perfect sense to Ms. Hall, who was the first person in her family to attend college. She notes that she’s always been the kind of person who has looked out for others.  “I was a ‘social worker’ in high school,” she recalled. “I was the mom of the group, making sure everyone got home safely. None of my frie...
Read more