“There is nothing more important than taking care of our children and making sure that children everywhere, who are of the greatest need, have loving homes. Genuinely, I can’t think of anything more important.” – Kim, foster and adoptive parent
Raise the Future believes every young person deserves to go through life knowing they have a caring adult by their side. Our organization connects youth in foster care to the adults they can rely on, and then surrounds those connections with support so they last for a lifetime. Your donations help ensure a brighter future for youth and families. Give now.
Kim has two biological daughters: Julia (12) and Anna (10). This New York trio has welcomed children in foster care into their home before, and Kim knew that she wanted to adopt. She spent years searching online adoption photolistings online before finding and inquiring about Redeat (who also likes to go by "Red"), a middle schooler in Utah’s foster care system.
Red, who recently turned 13, was part of Raise the Future’s Youth Connections Program, which provides intensive family-finding services for the longest waiting youth in care. Kendra, a Youth Connections Advocate, started working with Red in June 2020 with the goal of permanently connecting her with a loving family.
Red had spent much of her life moving from place to place. “I moved from Africa to America when I was really young, so I didn’t understand a lot,” she shares. In the States, Red entered foster care, and her life continued to be unstable and unpredictable. “Sometimes I just feel numb, because I moved around so much…I didn’t get any heads up or anything, I was just kind of ripped away.”
All of that changed on October 1st, 2021. By the time Kendra met Kim, she had spent over a year getting to know Red and working to identify the right family for her. From her first conversation with Kim, Kendra had a feeling that Kim and Red were meant for each other; as the months passed and Kendra watched their relationship bloom, she knew she was right. “When we finally got word that I could go get her, they got me on a plane to Utah so fast,” Kim shares. “They knew I couldn’t possibly wait another second. October 1st is the day that I had my daughter in my arms.”
“In foster care, I was just being passed around…Nobody really cared a lot. But after adoption, I feel like I belong somewhere.” - Redeat
Red and her family recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of her homecoming with a trip to the Big Apple, where they visited Times Square, 5th Avenue, and the Statue of Liberty. Red loves playing sports, and her mom loves going to her games. “The more sports the better in our house!” Kim says. Red now has access to adaptive sports like wheelchair basketball and recently attended a basketball camp; she is looking forward to starting sled hockey this winter. Off the court, she delights in painting her nails with her sisters and playing with the family’s with six pets, including Bighead the dog, who is an amputee like Red.
Red envisions herself becoming a motivational speaker in the future: “Because of my story, I think I can help people and motivate them to find their passion.” She encourages anyone reading this blog post to “open your heart and your mind to something new.”
Click here to watch Red's story on KSL 5 TV.
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Redeat’s story is just one example of the many families touched by adoption and foster care and supported by Raise the Future. Please join us as we continue to connect youth, support families, and create hope. Make a contribution now through 12/31/2022, and your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $100,000 thanks to the generosity of anonymous donors. Thank you for your support!