Andy and his husband, Nick, feel they owe a debt of gratitude to Children’s Home Society for helping them adopt three siblings, Angel, Michael and Grace, in 2017.
Andy and Nick know that simply expressing their deep appreciation to Children’s Home would be sufficient to pay off this symbolic debt. And, they’ve certainly done that many times. But, once the adoption of their children was complete, they wanted to do more.
As a firefighter in Maple Grove, Andy had the chance to designate funds raised through the department’s Relief Association to a favorite cause or charity. “We had just adopted our kids, so of course, Children’s Home was my favorite charity!” Andy said.
Children’s Home received almost $7,000.
“Children’s Home changed our lives,” Andy said. “Anything we can do to support them so other parents can have their dream come true, like we did, is so worth it.”
Their Adoption Story
Becoming dads was obviously an emotional decision for Andy and Nick. It was also a financial one. Going through surrogacy or private infant adoption can be expensive, so what made the most sense for them was to adopt through foster care.
“Our original idea was to foster one child,” Andy said, “but, when we heard about the need to place siblings, and we saw Angel and Michael, we fell in love with them because they are adorably cute!”
When the children moved into their home in 2015, Andy and Nick knew Angel and Michael’s birth mother had just delivered a baby girl. The dads had no hesitation saying “yes” to adopting her, too; Grace joined them when she was 10 months old.
Adjusting to life with three children is always a challenge, but Andy and Nick say it feels natural to be parents together. Andy is already looking into the distant future when their three children will be adults. “When our kids have kids of their own, and we’re spoiling those grandkids rotten, we’ll still be thanking Children’s Home for the joy they helped bring to our lives.”
Contact our development office at 651.603.8726 or development@chlss.org to discuss ways you can support Children’s Home.
