BRYAN, Texas — November is Adoption month, and a non-profit foster care and adoption agency in Bryan is asking families in the Brazos Valley to open their homes to a child looking for a forever family.
America's Heart has been in Bryan for about five years, working with CPS to place children in need in safe and loving homes.
The agency is currently working with five families with 12 total children.
They say being a foster parent or family to foster or foster to adopt a child takes a clear background check, being over 21 and having an open heart.
“These kids have already been through so much," said Foster Home Developer Claire Hohertz.
"They’re just looking for a safe place to land.”
Hohertz keeps parents in compliance with the state of Texas and recruits other parents to open their hearts and get licensed.
If parents and families check their criteria they would work with someone like Emilia Kirk, a foster care manager.
“A lot of my days are just going out to those homes and checking on the kids," she said.
"Checking on their day to day, school therapy, any mental health services that they need.”
A lot of kids in the system have mental health issues and rough experiences, but Emilia said that is no reason for families to stay away from fostering.
"These kids are not entering the system because of fault of their own. It’s the fault of the guardians they were with,” she said.
"A lot of it is nurture. So it’s up to the parents the guardians who are teaching the right values to these children.”
She and her team know really, any good person has what it takes to be that parent.
Find out more from America’s Heart and how to start the foster family process on their website and their Facebook page.