Some of the 2019 Ohio Health Prism Awards Nominees.
People – common, famous and infamous that James DeCamp has photographed.
Below is the nineteenth of a series of assignments that I had for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. This was a very meaningful project for me, as I too was adopted, but I had found a forever family when I was only months old. Many of the children I documented in this series were not so fortunate, spending years in a system that passed them from one home to another until DTFA stepped in and helped them find a stable home life and loving forever family.
“IT’S A MIRACLE BEING ADOPTED”: ARIANA’S STORY
Chris and Joanna McIntyre, of Colorado, adopted Ariana, 16, through the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption’s Wendy’s Wonderful Kids® program. This is their story.
When Ariana was five years old, she had to be removed from her birth mother’s house after enduring years of abuse. “I had nightmares every single day. It was just really scary for me living there,” she shared. “I thought, ‘Where am I going to live? Who is going to take care of me? How am I going to make friends?’”
Sadly, Ariana’s experience is not unique. Far too many children are entering foster care because of abuse and neglect and many are not returning to their birth families because it is simply not safe.
For more than five years, Ariana bounced between foster homes, longing for a permanent home. That dream came true in 2014 when she was adopted by Chris and Joanna McIntyre with support from the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and her Wendy’s Wonderful Kids recruiter, Chelsea.
“I am so thankful for Chelsea,” said Ariana. “She feels like part of my family.”
After Ariana moved in with the McIntyre’s, Chelsea visited the family every month, helping Chris and Joanna navigate the adoption process. “We jumped from no kids straight into parenting a 10-year-old. It was a huge change,” says Joanna. “Chelsea was an awesome support.”
Now, Chris and Joanna can’t imagine their lives any other way. They have since adopted five more children from foster care: Adam, Conor, Gabe, Matthew and Winter.
“It has been fun to watch Arianna grow into the role of being a big sister,” Joanna shared. “She has shown us what true love looks like. She is such a gift to our family.”
Since adoption, Chris and Joanna have seen Ariana blossom in her ability to interact with others and become much more confident. She is finally able to trust people again.
Chris added, “From the get-go, we thought, we are here for Ariana as long as she needs us.”
“It’s a miracle being adopted and having a family, because it actually feels like you have someone who loves you,” Ariana said.
AS OPIOID CRISIS OVERLOADS FOSTER CARE SYSTEM, CANON CITY FAMILY OPENS THEIR HOME
Chris and Joanna McIntyre have adopted six children from foster care, including their daughter Ariana through the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption’s Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program.
The lights start to turn on at about 6 a.m. in a historic Cañon City home as the six McIntyre kids slowly wake up.
“And it just depends on the day, said their mom, Joanna McIntyre. “Some days everything goes really smoothly and then other days nobody wants to do anything, and it’s a struggle.”
On this particular Thursday morning, the kids are relatively calm, and slurp their cheerios as the three oldest kids head off to school.
Their family started as most do, with the oldest, Ariana McIntyre. But her parents didn’t meet her until she was 10-years-old.
“Ariana’s birth mom loved her, but loved meth and other things,” said the now 17-year-old’s dad, Chris McIntyre.
Joanna and Chris weren’t even sure they wanted kids when they got married in college.
But as friends of the District Attorney in Fremont County, they learned of the need for foster parents, and spent a year getting all the paperwork together, and becoming qualified.
Ariana was their first, and they thought it was a short-term stay, until they learned she needed a permanent home from her recruiter with Wendy’s Wonderful Kids, Chelsea Taylor.
Ariana with her Wendy’s Wonderful Kids recruiter, Chelsea Taylor (left)
“I think it’s a reality that it’s harder to place older youth in foster care and it’s harder to achieve permanency for those kids,” said Taylor, who is now a supervisor at the Colorado Adoption Exchange, which receives grant money for the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program.
Their goal is to find adoptive families that foster kids and teens who they have previously connected with in their lives.
“And often youth are like ‘oh, well if it’s not a stranger and if it’s my neighbor or my coach or my teacher or a family friend, maybe I’d be more interested in being adopted or having legal guardianship or some kind of permanency with that person,”’ said Taylor.
Taylor said at any given time in Colorado, there are around 300 to 400 kids within the foster care system who need adoptive homes.
According to the state, 203 kids were aged out of the system in 2019.
“Our youth who emancipate right, are more likely to be homeless, more likely to use substances, more likely to have a child before they’re ready, they have higher incarceration rates,” said Taylor. “There’s really bad statistics around that.”
The McIntyres didn’t stop fostering kids after they adopted Ariana.
“It’s easier to sit and watch Netflix,” said Chris McIntyre. “But I don’t know if that’s the most satisfying thing.”
They went on to foster and adopt Connor, Matthew, Winter, Adam, and Gabe.
Chris and Joanna McIntyre said all of their kids were removed from their first families because of something relating to substance abuse.
Ariana struggles with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and the McIntyres know some of their other children might struggle later on because of drugs found in their system when they were babies.
With six adopted kids, the McIntyres are still renewing their paperwork to foster kids.
“We’ll do what we can because it’s such a need,” said Chris McIntyre.
They couple feels as if this is something God has called them to do, but they also said their family is no different from other large families.
“Our struggles are not much worse than any parents,” Chris McIntyre said.
Considering adoption? Please check out this guide
Also, please prayerfully consider your financial support of this great organization.
Portraits of the New Albany City Council and senior staff members photographed Tuesday, March 19, 2019 at New Albany City Hall.
OWU alum Tom Palmer ’69 and his wife Susan Palmer along with OWU President ‘Rock’ Jones make an announcement about the OWU’s Global Scholars Program photographed Wednesday, January 22, 2020 at Ross Art Museum in Delaware, Ohio.
The fourth annual Komen Southeast Ohio Race for the Cure photographed Sunday, October 14, 2018 at the Ohio University campus. This annual event raises significant funds for the breast cancer movement, thanks to supporters and survivors around the world who step up and take action by fundraising for the cause.
The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure® Series is the world’s largest, most successful fundraising and education event for breast cancer. The race series includes more than 140 events on four continents, with over one million participants coming together every year to take part in the fight against breast cancer.
This important annual event raises significant funds for the breast cancer movement, thanks to supporters and survivors around the world who step up and take action by fundraising for the cause.
A Global Impact
Race for the Cure® truly makes an impact, with 100 percent of the net proceeds allocated to our mission:
- 75 percent of the net income stays in our community to help fund local programs offering breast health education and breast cancer screening and treatment.
- The remaining 25 percent goes toward Susan G. Komen® Research and Training Grants program.
In addition to raising funds for the breast cancer movement, Race for the Cure® also increases awareness, celebrates breast cancer survivorship and honors those who have lost their battle with the disease.
Racing for the Cure is More Than Pink™
Every year, in cities around the globe, our allies Race for the Cure® and prove they are More Than Pink™.
These passionate supporters and survivors are not content to simply say they support the breast cancer cause, or wear a pink ribbon. They turn their support into action. They recognize the need to raise funds for the fight against breast cancer, and they get to work.
I Am Komen® is the mission engagement program of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure® Series that motivates people to take action steps that may reduce their risk of breast cancer. It speaks to the importance of early detection and healthy living while encouraging everyone to make a personal commitment to their breast health. I Am Komen® is a “Declaration” to join the Komen community as an ambassador in the fight against breast cancer.
What you can do to help
For more information about the I Am Komen® program, breast health information, and ways that you can personally get involved, please visit iamkomen.org. If you’re interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities at our Race, including becoming an I Am Komen® volunteer, please contact us or visit our Volunteer page. Our I Am Komen® program is ideal for volunteers of all ages seeking to get involved in the Komen Race for the Cure®.
Ohio University is a large, primarily residential, public research university in Athens, Ohio, United States. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the oldest in Ohio, it was chartered in 1787 and subsequently reapproved for the territory in 1802 and state in 1804, opening for students in 1809. As of 2016, the university’s total enrollment, including all campuses, was more than 36,800.
Ohio University maintains a selective admission rate with further admission requirements for its schools. The Heritage College of Medicine maintains its separate select admissions criteria. Ohio University offers more than 250 areas of undergraduate study. On the graduate level, the university grants master’s degrees in many of its major academic divisions, and doctoral degrees in selected departments. Ohio University is fully accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classifies Ohio as a Research University (high research activity) under the Basic Classification category.
Ohio’s athletic teams are called the Bobcats and compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level as charter members of the Mid-American Conference. Ohio football has participated in ten bowl games through the 2016 season, while the men’s basketball team has made 13 appearances in the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship.
Susan G. Komen, formerly known as Susan G. Komen for the Cure and originally as The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, often referred to as simply Komen, is the largest and best-funded breast cancer organization in the United States.
Since its inception in 1982, Komen has spent (through 2010) nearly $1.5 billion for breast cancer education, research, advocacy, health services and social support programs in the U.S., and through partnerships in more than 50 countries. Today, Komen has more than 100,000 volunteers working in a network of 124 affiliates worldwide.<
According to the Harris Interactive 2010 EquiTrend annual brand equity poll, Komen was once one of the most trusted non-profit organizations in America. In 2012, Komen’s controversial continued funding for mammogram referrals provided by Planned Parenthood caused a significant decline in donations, event participation and public trust, after an attempt to withdraw Planned Parenthood’s funding resulted in political pressure. The organization was further criticized for its use of donor funds, the CEO’s 64% pay raise after the significant drop in donations, its administration costs, its choice of sponsor affiliations, its role in commercial cause marketing and its use of misleading statistics in advertising. In March 2013, Komen dropped from Charity Navigator‘s highest rating of four stars down to three stars and then to two stars in 2014. As of June 2016, Komen is back to three stars, with a score of 81 out
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This is the thirteenth of an ongoing series of assignments that I had for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. This has been a very meaningful project for me, as I too was adopted, but I had found a forever family when I was only months old. Many of the children I have documented in this series were not so fortunate, spending years in a system that passed them from one home to another until DTFA stepped in and helped them find a stable home life and loving forever family.
OUR CHILD IS PERFECT, EVEN WHEN HE ISN’T
By Sadie Marshall-Corley
Sadie and her husband, Cody, adopted their son, Latrell, through the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption’s Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program. The Corleys, who live in Louisiana, want to raise awareness about the importance of foster care adoption, and specifically, the critical need to find permanent, loving homes for teenagers in foster care.
People often say that our son is ‘lucky’ to have us, but they could never understand that we are the ones who are truly lucky and blessed to have him.
My husband, Cody, and I had thought about adoption for a while. But adopting a teenager was never the plan, until it was. Cody is a middle school teacher and had a 14-year-old student named Latrell. Cody and Latrell formed a bond that extended from class to extracurricular activities. And it was during this time that Cody learned that Latrell was in foster care. Months later, I met Latrell.
Latrell spent eight years in foster care. He needed a family. Before we finished the certification process, Latrell was moved to Monroe, Louisiana, which was about two hours away. Frustrated, but not deterred, we pressed on. We exchanged phone numbers, became Facebook friends and traveled to Monroe to take Latrell to dinner so we could see him and continue getting to know him.
In October 2016, Latrell asked us if we were interested in adopting him. Prior to that, we had just been getting to know one another and hadn’t made any solid plans or promises. My heart almost burst when he asked that one question. It took a few more months, but Latrell moved into our home in February 2017.
During this process, Kerri Byrd, our Wendy’s Wonderful Kids recruiter, was our guardian angel. I can’t tell you how many times I called her crying. The process was slow, and I felt like it was robbing us of time with our son. He was already 15, and we had limited time before he’d be off to college or living on his own.
By December 2017, Latrell was officially a Corley. He says he is now “living his best life.” What a compliment from a now 17-year-old boy!
While Latrell was already a teenager when we met, his experiences had been so limited. It was heartbreaking at first, but we realized that it allowed us to experience a lot of the typical “firsts” with him that are often missed when an older child is adopted. We got to teach him how to drive and give him his own room for the first time in his life. We bought him his first plane ticket for his first trip out of state. We gave him his first dog, helped him secure his first job, and more. It has been an incredible journey.
The biggest change for Latrell has been his grades. When he came to us, he was nearly failing. Today, he has a 3.5 GPA. He is now confident. It has been more amazing than I have the words to describe watching him blossom and develop a sense of self.
To anyone considering foster care adoption, a teenager can bring out the most love and hope a person can have in their heart. We are so lucky to have met Latrell and be given the opportunity to bring him into our family. He is the light of our world, and we couldn’t imagine life without him in it.
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption’s Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program provides grants to adoption agencies to hire and train recruiters in our Child-Focused Recruitment Model to find loving, permanent homes for the nearly 155,000 children waiting in foster care across the United States and Canada. The model is up to three times more effective at serving youth who have been in foster care the longest.
Considering adoption? Please check out this guide
Also, please prayerfully consider your financial support of this great organization.
This is the twelfth of an ongoing series of assignments that I have had for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. This was a very meaningful project for me, as I too was adopted, but I had found a forever family when I was only months old. Many of the children I have documented in this series were not so fortunate, spending years in a system that passed them from one home to another until DTFA stepped in and helped them find a stable home life and loving forever family.
WHO KNEW A GAME OF UNO COULD CHANGE YOUR LIFE?
By Jacquelynn Patterson
Jacquelynn and Kevin Patterson are adoptive parents from Kevil, Kentucky. They have three daughters. Their oldest, Haylee, was adopted through the Foundation’s Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program.
Our daughter, Haylee, came home to us at age 13. After living a life of uncertainty, growing up in homes that were deemed unsafe and foster homes that were not permanent, our daughter is finally home.
We met Haylee in September 2016. We weren’t sure what we were getting into, but we knew the need for foster-to-adopt families in Kentucky was critical. We also knew that teenagers were being overlooked and that thousands of teens needed loving parents. We wanted to be that family for a teenager.
During our first meeting, Haylee was shy, and it was hard to get her to talk to us. Everything changed when we learned that she likes to watch professional wrestling. Kevin loves the WWE. That was our in. From there, we moved on to playing what can only be described as the most epic and memorable game of Uno ever played. It took 90 minutes, and we laughed the entire time. Haylee began opening up and started making jokes. In the end, she won the game, but we had broken the ice. Leaving that day, we knew we had met our daughter, and Haylee says she knew she had met her parents. “I thought they were so weird, but deep down, I knew they were my family.”
When Haylee came to live with us, it was easy to see she was broken, lacked confidence and couldn’t see all the beautiful things about her. It’s hard to blame her, she had been through a lot. As she once said, “no one wanted a child like her.”
We try to instill in Haylee how much opportunity she has ahead of her. She takes joy in now being a big sister, oldest child, oldest grandchild, friend, cousin and daughter. Not everything has been smooth, but we work through the obstacles together. Every moment of resistance and frustration has been worth it.
Haylee didn’t smile in photos before. Now, she loves to smile and loves life, herself and her family. Today, when she is asked about being adopted, Haylee says, “It just feels great to be wanted and to be home.” We have a hard time remembering life without her. It’s like she’s always been here.
Considering adoption? Please check out this guide
Also, please prayerfully consider your financial support of this great organization.
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