At Children’s Place Association, our mission is to build a secure and hopeful today so children facing health issues and poverty succeed tomorrow. We do this in many ways, and one of them is through our Foster Care and Adoption Services in partnership with DCFS. Witness the beautiful journey of one of our families who were reunited by a chance encounter.
What would you do? You are walking down the street and come across someone with a toddler in a stroller, and you realize it’s your nephew? That is exactly what happened to Latonya Minor. That fateful day brought her back to her nephew, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Let’s step back for a moment: Jordan was born at 1 pound, six ounces, and was in an incubator for five months in the hospital. Latonya visited him every day, so much so, that the staff thought she was his mother. Shortly thereafter, Jordan was placed in the foster care system and became part of Children’s Place Foster Care services. Latonya lost contact with him, and she hadn’t seen him since he was six months old.
Fast forward 18 months to that fateful walk down the street where she noticed a young boy in a stroller, and knew it was her nephew, Jordan. As she recognized Jordan, he too recognized her! His foster mom, who liked keeping families together, invited Latonya to visit. After Jordan’s birth parents gave up rights, Latonya acquired a license to foster as a relative and continued down the path with Children’s Place to adopt Jordan. He began with overnight visits to moving in with her in 2013, starting the adoption process in 2016 and finalizing it in 2017.
“Children’s Place has a wonderful support system,” said Latonya. “Even after adoption, I still have relationships and connections with the agency. They are awesome. They actually make you feel like family. Call on them. If there are services you need, they are there. If you need to talk, they are there.”
Jordan, now 10, has faced other challenges in his short life. His birth mother was murdered, and he has lost other family members. What he hasn’t lost is the love and support of his Auntie (whom he calls Mauntie) and his extended family. He considers the foster family that he spent nearly four years with family, and he and Latonya continue to be part of Children’s Place family.
To learn more about Latonya and Jordan’s story, listen to her interview on the “Black to the Beginning: The Black Adoption Podcast.”
Jordan and Latonya… you are loved by many. Thank you for sharing your lives with us and showing others how life can get better!
The Black Adoption Podcast:
