Jenny, Joseph, Christopher and Rita's Story

Jenny, Joseph, Christopher and Rita were born into a home filled with violence and neglect. At only eight years old, Jenny was often left at home to care for her three younger siblings—the baby, Rita, was only a year old. When there was no food in the house, Jenny would knock at neighbors’ doors asking for help. Finally someone reported the situation. The boys were placed in one foster home, and the girls went to another.

The Children’s Law Center was appointed to represent all four children. Although the court put a plan in place to help their mother regain custody, she didn’t follow through and eventually stopped showing up at meetings. On the day that her parental rights were terminated, she did not show up for the hearing.

Joseph and Christopher thrived in their foster home, and eventually Jenny and Rita were reunited with them. All four siblings were together in a happy home and each began a dramatic change. They did well in school. They ate meals together as a family. They were happy. And best of all? The foster family wanted to adopt all four.

However, there was a hold-up. While her siblings had been born in the United States, Jenny was born in Mexico and was not a citizen, which is an adoption requirement in Denver. Their Children’s Law Center attorney, Betsy Fordyce, went to work navigating the complex process of obtaining citizenship for Jenny. 

In the summer of 2011, thanks to Betsy’s work, Jenny became a legal permanent resident. On National Adoption Day, November 18, 2011, Jenny, Joseph, Christopher and Rita were adopted by their foster parents to continue to live in a home of love and care.