Local children in foster care still wait to be adopted
LAS VEGAS (KSNV News3LV) — More than 350 kids in the Clark County foster care system are waiting to be adopted into a forever family.
Saturday morning, Christian ministry group 'Focus on the Family' teamed up with the Clark County Department of Family Services, local churches, and adoption leaders to talk about adoption from foster care.
A picture display of faces of Clark County children shows hope in children finding a loving and supportive family to call their own.
Carly Souza and her husband have a family of 7. They adopted five children, a sibling group of four and another child, and also have two biological kids.
"Their current ages are 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, and 11," said Souza. "We thought if we could help out one kid, it would be worth it. Our first placement was a sibling group of four, and two years later we adopted those same kids."
Their interest began at an event similar to this one, years ago.
In Clark County, there are 350 children in the foster care system waiting for a place to go. So, at the very first 'Wait No More' event in Las Vegas, the county and state worked to streamline the process by bringing the tools needed like the fingerprinting machine.
"Those children were once with their bio families and unfortunately their parental rights had to be terminated, so we are hoping that there are families that will come forward today interested in adopting these children," Souza said.
"We're set out to help them walk through the process to learn about who those children are by having the heart gallery here," Souza continued. "They have their licensing team here, case workers, social workers, and they also have a fingerprinting unit."
Sharen Ford, with "Focus on the Family's" Adoption and Orphan Care, says while it may be a process to be screened to become a foster or adoptive parent, there's help.
"For a family who says I can't take on an older child, you're not doing this by yourself. There are services that will help you do that to help meet the child's needs and to help support you," said Ford.
Souza says she can't imagine her life without her five adopted children, and her family is open to growing their family.
"All of our kids want to foster and to adopt when they grow up, and they want us to adopt more kids now ," said Souza. "There's this specific sibling group of three that's being featured at this event today and legally free for adoption, and my 12-year-old son has their picture pinned next to his bed and he prays for them every day and he wants to adopt them. I don't know, maybe we'll be a family of ten."
