Sioux Falls-based Wendy’s Wonderful Kids Adoption Specialist Tina Graber shared this story with GWW.

I wanted to share a story of hope and healing for a sibling group of four that I’ve had the privilege of working with since the fall of 2022. All four children, ages 11, 10, 9, and 7 had been living at our CHS residential facility when I met them and were there for about three years total. I was told by the DSS worker at the time of referral that she would like to see if we could find a family that could adopt all four siblings together, but that the likelihood of that happening was very slim.

I got to know each child and worked closely with each child’s therapist here at CHS to determine what their needs were and the type of family that would be the best fit for all of them. The children had some ups and downs with their emotional and behavioral struggles throughout this time, including a period when one of the brothers had such significant behaviors that we thought he would not be able to be with his siblings.

After extensive searching and assessment of many families, including potential relative placements, the DSS worker and I identified a family who wanted to adopt all four siblings together and seemed to be a wonderful fit for what these children needed. We introduced them to the family, and they started visits to build a relationship. You could see the hope slowly starting to enter the children’s faces as they got to know this family.

At the beginning of January, the family came to Sioux Falls to pick up the four children and drove them home. Over the last six months, it has been amazing to see these four children start to thrive as they have become a family together.

They have met grandparents and played on the school’s basketball team. They have learned how to gather the eggs from their chickens, roasted marshmallows at a campfire and made new friends.

I have witnessed the biggest smiles on their faces that I’ve ever seen. They are like different children; you can see the happiness, excitement, and hope on their faces and hear it in their voices.

Things aren’t perfect, of course, but the family has patiently worked through all the struggles that have come up. They have given the children messages of hope and claimed these children as their own. They have given them stability, love, belonging and hope for their future. And they were officially adopted together on July 8!

These are a few pictures from adoption day. They saw the rainbow on their drive home from the courthouse. And they lit fireworks that night on their acreage.