Adoption is a magical process in which a child is welcomed into a family. Every child deserves a happy and warm welcome from their new family.
While adoption is so beautiful and praised, there are some unsung heroes in the system. There are quite a few people who adopt children through the foster care system. They take in young children in need of foster care, and after the allotted time of fostering, they adopt these children. One case worker made a little girl's adoption day extra special by surprising her with Disney princesses.
Every day, 1,200 kids enter the foster care system. The nonprofit organization Together We Rise is working to change the way children experience the foster care system. Working with their agency, Rob and Leslie Valleau were able to foster twins, Elise and Jack, and after two years with the twins, they have finally adopted them!
[Photo Credit: Marie Williams Photography]
Together We Rise "works with hundreds of foster agencies, social workers, CASA advocates, and other partners to bring our programs to foster youth across the nation."
Leslie Valleau first came across TWR through a Facebook post that was shared through their family's agency (Lutheran Social Services — now known as Samaritas).
"I loved seeing all of the adoption stories and the happy reunification stories," she told LittleThings.
Rob and Leslie have been with Jack and Elise since they were newborns.
"We were able to take the twins home from the hospital when they were 3 days old and as soon as the nurses wheeled those 2 tiny bundles into our room," Leslie continued telling LittleThings, "We knew our lives would never be the same. Rob and I are completely over the moon for both of them."
Jack is the older twin by four minutes and is extremely protective of his little sister.
"He is sweet, sensitive, and shy. He loves snuggles with Mommy, dogs, cars, trucks, buses, and construction vehicles," Leslie said.
Elise is a sweet little girl who doesn't stop moving once she's up!
"She is very curious about everything and everyone. She loves Elsa and anything princess-related, trains, reading with her Daddy, horses, and playing with her brother," Leslie said.
The Valleau family teamed up with Marie Williams Photography, after getting in touch with TWR, to capture this wonderful moment and celebrate.
"Within hours, someone from Together We Rise had emailed me to let me know they were working on finding a photographer, and then hours later, I was introduced to Marie," Leslie said. "It was a wonderful gift and we will cherish these pictures forever."
The road for Leslie and Rob to finally have their children was long, but they both knew that God meant for them to have Jack and Elise. The family is so happy to be together and for the adoption to finally be official!
You can get involved in your area with Together We Rise by clicking here.
You can help children in the foster care system with Together We Rise by clicking here.
