'We Wanted To Make A Difference': Adoptive Parents Honored By Colorado
DENVER (CBS4) - The Colorado Department of Human Services will mark National Adoption Month by honoring five Colorado families who've adopted children. The luncheon will happen Saturday, November 2nd, and will include face painting and a bounce house for the kids.
Anthony and Vontrice Roberts will be among those honored. The couple finalized their adoption of Tatianya in March of 2019.
The sounds of victory ring out in the Roberts' living room as father and daughter play a spirited game of cards. Anthony told CBS4 he was adopted when he was a child and his grandparents fostered over 100 children. He said his wife, Vontrice, also shares a close connection to adoption, so the two had a clear calling.
"Once we learned there are hundreds of thousands of kids in foster care we knew we wanted to make a difference with an older child," Anthony told CBS4.
Roberts worked with our partners the Adoption Exchange which is a non-profit that works to place children in foster care into permanent homes. He said they searched the Adoption Exchange's website to learn more about the kids in Colorado's foster care system. That's when he and Vontrice found Tatianya's story.
"We came across Tatianya's picture and read about her and felt a deep connection, because she hadn't had that sense of permanency".
Tatianya went into foster care when she was four-years-old and stayed in the system until she was 10.
"It was a lot of moving around. All the friends you had, you would leave them" she said of the hardships of being in foster care.
The Roberts and Tatianya first met one another at one of the Adoption Exchange's family recruiting events.
"When we first met her we were like, 'Wow, she has a lot of energy and a lot of character.' And we loved that about her. Love that she can be the center of attention, but so gracious at the same time" said the proud father.
"At first I thought they were really nice. I still think they are nice," Tatianya expained.
The trio realized they belonged together and so the Roberts fostered to adopt. Adoption Day is a day they will always remember. Tatianya's biological sister from Texas was there and met her new parents.
"I was really happy" she said.
Now the 7th grader is adjusting well to her new, permanent home. She plays volleyball and does aerial dance. She is an avid reader and of course loves spending time with the Roberts' whom she calls "mom and dad".
"As we become a family. we have learned to fight for one another and do this journey together" said Anthony.
He says the adoption process doesn't end on adoption day, but rather just begins. He says adoption is a challenging journey, but one that is worth it.
The Roberts would like to expand their family. They plan on adopting a son in the near future which means Tatianya would get a new brother.
There are currently 433 Colorado children and teens in foster care who are awaiting adoption. Thus far in 2019, 646 Colorado children and teens in foster care have been adopted. Most kids who are adopted from the foster care system are adopted by their foster parents.
Adoptive parents can:
-- be single or married
-- live in an apartment or house that they own or rent
-- identify as LGBTQ+ or heterosexual
-- be an experienced or first-time parent
In order to foster and adopt, a person must be at least 21 years old.
To learn more about fostering or adopting in Colorado.
To learn more about many of the children and teens waiting to be adopted, visit the Colorado Heart Gallery.
To learn more about The Adoption Exchange.
