Every child deserves to grow up in a safe, loving family. During National Adoption Month, we celebrate the exceptional children in foster care and the families who welcome them into permanent, loving homes where they can heal and thrive. Charles and James Judice join our Laura Cavanaugh to talk about how adoption paves the way to new beginnings and brighter futures.
This October the couple’s family blossomed into a party of five through adoption. They welcomed three siblings, all under the age of six, into their family. After 1,233 days in foster care, they were together by chance, but a family by choice.
The two men, who proudly served in the U.S. Navy, fought for our country, but found a new passion and purpose fighting to keep San Diego kids safe. They initially explored private adoption. But when they found out about the tremendous need for resource families in San Diego, they changed course and trained to become resource parents. They first fostered a sibling set for a year before the children reunified with their biological mother.
“She had worked her plan, got it together and they went back to a safer, more stable home,” said Charles Judice.
Just a week later, they were called to foster a sibling set of twin boys. Nearly two-thirds of the children in care have a sibling in foster care. It was important to the couple that these children preserved a sense of security and stability. So they welcomed the twins’ older brother into their home.
“They had suffered so many difficult situations and traumas. We wanted to give them stability and we wanted them to be able to grow up together,” said Judice.
Both men experienced loss at an early age and could relate. They understood the importance of growing up with a sibling. That is why, when given the opportunity, they ultimately decided to adopt all three siblings.
“The children in foster care, they’re in foster care because there’s an immediate danger to them. Whether or not people step up, they have to be in foster care. There’s no alternative. They try to place them with family first. When there’s no family, they need somewhere to place them,” said Charles Judice. “These children are all of our children. They need all of our support. It takes a village. We have to step up.”
Resource parents are essential in providing safety and stability. They also help maintain connections through visits and calls while the child’s family works their plans.
“Even if they don’t stay with you forever, that’s where the selflessness of fostering comes in.” said Judice. “It’s knowing it’s going to be hard if they reunify, it’s going to be difficult and you’re going to have to mourn that. But you do it anyway. Not because it’s something that is going to feel good when they’re reunifying, but because that’s what the child needs.”
To learn more about becoming a resource parent, call 1-877-792-KIDS or log on to www.sdcares4kids.com
Sponsored by County of San Diego HHSA