May was the month anticipated for the Williams family adoption. Then Covid-19 and the Shelter in Place were implemented and the family, like so many others, were in a holding pattern waiting for their little girl, Evelyn, to share their last name.
10 years ago, Kent and Inge Williams, proud parents of three wonderful adult children, joined a camping trip that would forever change all of their lives. While camping with friends who were fostering Kent and Inge found themselves intrigued by the thought of fostering themselves. A new path opened for this couple and in 2010 they became certified foster parents with Redwood Community Services.
The Williams family quickly became known for their skill in caring for infants. “Kent and Inge love babies and with the difficulty in placing under school aged children, they have been an amazing asset to our agency as well as the countless little ones placed there,” says Redwood Community Services Foster Family Agency Supervisor, Lorraine Montano. According to Kidsdata.org 2018 reporting there were 4,080 children under the age of 1 in foster care in the State of California. Finding foster homes for this age range is particularly difficult given the fact that many families do not have a stay at home parent and daycare can be difficult to find.
“We’ve always had infants and when they left it was very difficult, like a black cloud was hanging over us. But we would love them with all our hearts. We’ve had babies return home or to other families and know that the love we gave has made it possible for those babies to love back and be happy and healthy children,” Inge honestly shares about their fostering experiences.
In 2018 the Williams adopted from foster care their now six-year-old daughter, Katlyn. Katlyn came to the Williams at just four days old and after nearly four years was adopted into their family. Now in 2020 the Williams were ready to adopt their second baby, Evelyn, who was only one day old when she came to Kent and Inge for fostering. “We didn’t expect to fall so madly in love!” Kent and Inge did not know at that time that this little girl would become number five for the family.
In February the Williams family had a tentative date for adoption of May or possibly June. The family was thrilled and preparing for the celebration they would hold when little Evelyn, now 2 years old, would be legally adopted as Evelyn Williams. Little did anyone know that starting in March the entire country would start to shelter in place due to a global pandemic. The family patiently waited while the court system came to a standstill and adoptions everywhere were put on hold. After a long wait on Friday, November 6th 2020 The Williams family officially adopted their little girl.
“Unfortunately, one of the side effects of the Covid-19 shelter in place orders has been a delay in scheduled adoption finalization hearings. When the original orders came out the Courts decided that they would only continue to calendar hearings that were essential. What that meant for some families in California was that their adoption finalization hearings would be pushed back for an unknown amount of time. That delay not only impacts a family's ability to celebrate the legal union of their family, but it can impact the child's level of anxiety which may increase from waiting, and not knowing when their adoption will become official,” shares Kate Napp, Redwood Community Services Program Director.
With their Covid-19 social bubble the Williams celebrated their adoption. “When we found out everything was delayed, I was just hoping for it to be finalized before Christmas,” Inge kept positive through the entire process and was gifted an adoption not only before Christmas but, in November which is National Adoption Awareness Month.
Redwood Community Services, Inc. has been providing foster care services since its incorporation in 1995 and now serves Humboldt, Mendocino, Lake and Northern Sonoma Counties. Our Foster Care programs are designed to create a supported living environment for youth in the foster care system. Youth are placed with approved resource families, who are educated through a multi-faceted training program in order to prepare them for meeting the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of the youth in their care. To address the differing needs of the children and youth within the foster care system and the complexity of family dynamics, Redwood Community Services offers an array of foster care options.
For more information on foster care and foster to adopt services with Redwood Community Services please call 1-833-206-CARE (2273) or visit www.redwoodcommunityservices.org, Facebook and Instagram.
