Maggie, Jack and Mathew

Maggie, Jack and Mathew tragically watched their older brother die in a gang-related shooting in their neighborhood. This tragedy alerted the authorities to a drug-infested, neglectful home. The children were dirty and barely clothed. They often went hungry and when they were given dinner the women weren’t allowed to eat until the men had finished. Maggie, Jack and Mathew were placed in an emergency placement that same day. When Children’s Law Center attorney Kelli met her child clients that first week in foster care she immediately sought out a family placement for the children. An aunt and uncle agreed to care for the traumatized children, temporarily. For two years Maggie, Jack and Mathew lived with their aunt and uncle, while their mom made little attempt to regain custody of her children and their dad went to jail. One day Maggie’s teacher, Cynthia, approached their aunt wanting to learn more about the children’s future. Maggie’s aunt explained that they could not care for the children forever. They needed to find them an adoptive home, where all three children could stay together. For years Cynthia and her husband had been trying unsuccessfully to have children of their own and so, with Kelli’s help, they begin the process of becoming an eligible foster home for the children. The children transitioned from one home to another slowly, and not without setbacks. Nightmares from watching their brother die haunted each child. Maggie even began cutting herself to deal with the pain. Cynthia and her husband were new parents to three young children who needed regular intensive therapy to heal and they relied on Kelli for support and encouragement. After eight months together as a family, Cynthia and her husband made the decision to adopt all three children. On November 19 the adoption was finalized. Now the children have two loving parents who give each one of the children the individual special attention they need. The transformation in each child is astonishing.