In the fall of 2014 a ten-year-old girl arrived at Whaley Children's Center. After a few months, her younger brother came to the Center too. Both of them came from a background of severe neglect, as well as physical and sexual abuse and they were both in need of a lot of healing.

After time in our program, they were ready for a permanent home placement. Unfortunately, because of the severity of their past, they were unable to go to a home together. They had to find separate permanent home placements.

Her little brother found a placement first, in the spring of 2016. He finally had a family that loved him dearly and could offer him everything that he deserved. When he left our Center he was so excited, but at the same time he was sad that he was leaving his big sister behind. The only positive note was that she was going to be able to visit the family on a regular basis.

On one of these visits, she was introduced to her brother's foster families' friends and family members. As she met all of the new people in her brother's life, she really connected with one of the parent's friends. They immediately fell in love with her and began to question if adoption would be right for them.

After many visits and a lot of discussions with the young lady, the decision was made. She was going to have a permanent home too.

In the summer of 2017, after three years at Whaley, the now thirteen-year-old girl had found her forever family. Not only was she going to have a mom and dad who loved her, she was also going to live a few blocks away from her brother and see him on a regular basis. They could finally be together and feel the love and safety that every child deserves.