AUSTIN, Texas — Every week on KVUE, we feature a different child in the Texas foster care system, in hopes of helping them get adopted by a forever family.
A little over a year ago, KVUE's Hannah Rucker interviewed Samantha at the Altitude Trampoline park. During the interview, Samantha said she was tired of moving from place to place and she wanted to find a family that would keep her safe.
Now she has. Jay, an employee at KVUE, adopted Samantha and the adoption was made official last Friday in a Travis County courtroom.
During part of the ceremony, Jay looked over at Samantha and said:
"Sam, you're a beautiful, intelligent, amazing, bright light and it should never be hidden. And you did not deserve the conditions you were born into. But as Ms. Eisenhower, your fourth grade teacher, said, 'Sometimes, the universe gets it right.' And as Aunt Kimberly said, 'Sometimes, the stork is just a little late.' I'm just thankful to have you in my life. My mother, who passed away a long time ago, who you've chosen as your middle name, she's your guardian angel. She's going to look after you. I hope you feel the same way. Will you be my daughter forever?"
Samantha started the fifth grade this week with her new family.
To see other children who are still waiting to find their forever families, visit the Heart Gallery of Central Texas website.
KVUE launched the Forever Families segment with Partnerships for Children (PFC) in June 2020 to highlight children in the Heart Gallery of Central Texas who need secure and permanent families. Every day, there are nearly 1,000 children waiting to get adopted in Central Texas, according to PFC.
Forever Families is a partnership between KVUE, PFC, Heart Gallery of Central Texas, and is sponsored by Chevy Buick Marble Falls and Honda of San Marcos.
Editor's note: The children who are in the Heart Gallery program and featured in KVUE's Forever Families segments are children who have had every effort made on their behalf to connect them with family or others in their community to provide options for permanent, adoptive homes. Through no fault of their own, that hasn’t happened yet, and so in partnership with the Department of Family and Protective Services, we collaborate to bring awareness to KVUE viewers about these children in the hopes of finding them permanency before they age out.