Page 5 - Samaritas Annual Report 2016

An Adoption Fairy Tale Come True

Adoption
Created Adoptive Families for
Lutheran Adoption Service

continues to expand in its joint 455 children
effort with Wellspring. Total
adoptions have increased from in 2016
last year to 455.

Disney-obsessed seven Disney princesses,
Michigan girl got her including Rapunzel, Sleeping
A happily ever after when Beauty, Belle, Elsa, Ariel and
her favorite Disney princesses Snow White, prepared their
and princes showed up to wish costumes for the big day. Prince
her well at her final adoption Charming also volunteered to be
hearing. part of the fun.
When the team behind When Judge Patricia Gardner
5-year-old Danielle’s adoption caught wind of their plans,
and foster care caught wind she decided to intervene... by
of her love of all things Disney, they decided to make a dressing up as Snow White underneath her robe, and
special day for her even more special by attending her final conducting the hearing as a Disney princess herself.
adoption hearing in costume. And, fittingly, Grey and two of her colleagues that led
In a video shared by Samaritas Foster Care, Danielle the case for Danielle’s adoption dressed up with tiaras and
can be seen turning around at the door, in shock, partway wands as the girl’s fairy godmothers.
through the adoption hearing when seven Disney princesses The Konings, who adopted Danielle that day, also
and Prince Charming can be seen walking through the adopted 1-year-old Naveah during the same hearing. Even
door, bearing witness to her magical day earlier this month. though Naveah may have been too young to understand
Caseworker Kristina Grey said that she has grown a what was going on, foster care and adoption workers at the
special bond with Danielle since she was placed with the hearing said they could tell she was also having a lot of fun.
Koning family in March 2014 as a foster child. Grey said that the icing on the cake was when Danielle’s
“She was my first case,” Grey said. “She’s been like my birth mother commented on Facebook: “I’m very happy
own child.” that the adoption went well I know Jim and Sarah (Koning)
She quickly learned that Danielle loved Cinderella, and will be great parents to my little girl.”
other elegant Disney characters: “Every single time I go to
her house, we always have a tea party, and it’s always on
Disney china.”
As the final adoption hearing approached, Grey said she
could tell Danielle was feeling a little nervous.
“She was displaying all this anxiety,” Grey explained.
“She was so afraid we were going to take her from this
home. She wanted to know where she belonged, so I knew
I had to make this day super special for her.”
Knowing her love for Cinderella, she asked a coworker This special story went viral with over 25,000,000 views on
at a staff meeting whether she would come to the hearing the Samaritas Vimeo channel, coverage by ABC, The Today
dressed up as the Disney princess. Show, Buzzfeed, Daily Mail, Inside Edition, Fuji TV Japan,
Suddenly, everyone jumped at the opportunity to dress Huffington Post, Mashable and Women’s Day, to name just a
up as a different Disney princess. By the end of the meeting, few national and international sites.
Photos: Kristina Mayre Photography
2016 Samaritas Annual Report Samaritas.org