Foster and adoptive parents needed in Idaho
POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - November is National Adoption Month, a time to recognize the urgent need for foster and adoptive families in the country. Friday, at the Bannock County Courthouse, a very special adoption ceremony was held.
"I meet my children on the worst day of their life," Jacque Burt, a foster parent of more than 15 years, said. "And they’ve been taken from their families for no reason of their own and they need someone to step up.”
Burt's answered the call many times, and days like Friday mean everything to her.
"Adoption is a beautiful thing. I’ve adopted three of my own children and it’s personal for me, that’s why I’m here," she said.
Though Burt's family has moved over the years from Georgia to South Carolina and now Idaho, she’s kept renewing her foster license so she can do the work that she says “someone has to do.”
"They’re family, they’re a part of us. Our family has grown. We are different ages, we are different colors, we are just a melting pot," Burt explained. "So, it keeps us going because we just keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger. We need another seat at the table.”
The Coopers, Josh and Kristin, added two seats their table during Friday's celebration, adopting two children they had been fostering since March.
“It’s just a wonderful opportunity for us to welcome them into our forever family,” Kristin Cooper said.
But this isn’t the Coopers' first time welcoming new faces into their home, having previously adopted two others and fostering 46 children over the past six years.
"We're fortunate because you bond to every kid that comes in the house on some level. And to be given the opportunity to adopt, it just fulfills that mission," Josh explained.
Now, with a family of seven kids total, they’re ready to embrace whatever challenges come next.
"Always, we thrive on chaos,” Josh said.
No matter how many members are added to these families, they feel like its just one more person they get to love.
"It's family," Burt said. "It's family."
Currently, more than 1,700 children are in foster care in Idaho, according to the Department of Health and Welfare.
If you are interested in fostering or adopting, you can find more information in the attached links.
