Waiting Family Profiles

Home Location: Central MN

Family Status: Single without Children

Children in Home: None

Child Ethnicity: African American, Asian, Caucasian, East Indian, Hispanic/Latino, Native American

Let me introduce you to Cassi

My name is Cassi and I am so grateful for the opportunity to adopt! Family is one of the most beautiful things we have in life and my heart is full of love to give to a child. Although life has not given me the opportunity to have children yet, there is incredible beauty in all the ways families become families and I am excited for the journey!

I’m a deep thinker and love getting down to the nitty-gritty of life. At the same time, I love adventure, travel, road trips, cooking ethnic foods, and being on the lake. I am independent and about a 50/50 split between steady and free-spirited. I’m not afraid to figure things out and love hands-on projects. I love to play cards, play music on my keyboard or ukulele, and anything artsy. Having a hot cup of coffee and time with a good friend is always at the top of my list.

I didn’t know what I wanted to be “when I grew up” until I worked at an adoption/foster care agency and fell in love with every child I worked with. Their resilience in the face of adversity opened my eyes to this beautiful world of adoption. I finally found my true passion in life and went back to get my Masters in School Counseling at 38 years old. I am starting my fifth year as a school counselor at a K-12 school, where I love getting to know these beautiful kiddos. I get to hear their stories and walk them through all of life’s ups and downs. I truly feel honored to have a job that I am passionate about and could not ask for anything more!

My Home

I was blessed to buy my house over five years ago in rural Minnesota. I live in a cozy two-bedroom house on a hill overlooking a lake. I love all things lake related and thoroughly enjoy especially the Minnesota summer lake season on my paddleboard, the dock, or by a bonfire. I am so lucky to live on the same street as several of my closest friends (my family by choice!). My unique and adventurous side is evident in how I decorate my house with all things color, art, and creativity!

I live in a quiet neighborhood where many of my neighbors are snowbirds. My closest friends and confidants live on my street and we love doing all things life together: the good, the tough, the beautiful. My best friend and her husband have two lovely little ladies (ages 6 and 7) who I get to take frequently for dates of hiking, movies, dance parties, and the occasional marker-tattoo party.

I’ve had some opportunity to travel throughout the years. In addition to being all over the states, I was able to travel to The Gambia (West Africa) and Israel. I love seeing new places and understanding how others live. I love that in all of our diversity and differences, that at our core, all of us want to belong, be accepted, and be loved.

How my friends and family describe me: loyal, trustworthy, stubborn, wise, nurturing, sensible, giving, caring, laid-back, peaceful, good sense of humor, down-to-earth, fun, understanding, independent.

I have a half sleeve tattoo on one of my arms that was inspired by Song of Solomon 8:5 “Who is this coming up from the wilderness leaning on her beloved.” The premise of this verse for me is that I have lived in the wilderness seasons of life – the times when things didn’t go the way I thought they should or when things didn’t happen in the timing I had hoped for. Yet my faith is in the Lord and I have found myself coming out of those tough seasons, not because of my own strength, but because I have found myself leaning on the Lord and He has walked me out of the wilderness and into seasons where things finally coming into bloom.

My Tribe

The bottom line in life is this: we all need our village. I am a strongly independent, self-sufficient person, yet I would not be who I am without the love and support of those around me. This is a journey that I do not have to do alone, and I am so grateful for that! There is incredible beauty in maintaining relationship with birth parents and having them become a part of the tribe in whatever way they see fit. This is a journey of joining hands and making sure children know their full story and identity as they grow.

I have a lot of love to give and am so excited to share life with the child that gets put in my care. They will be incredibly loved by me, as well as by my tribe of family and friends. I will raise them to know they are loved, important, courageous, and knowing their life has purpose in all seasons.

I have always said my dream job would be Steve Hartman’s for CBS News. He would be blindfolded, throw a dart at a map of the USA, then travel there. When he arrived, he would flip through a phone book and whatever name he landed on, he would go and interview them. The premise was that everyone has a story to be told that is newsworthy. I love hearing people’s stories – the joys and the heartaches that make us who we are, and the connections we make along the way. I don’t know what story has led you to where you are, but I do know that in all things there is purpose for you and your little one. I am praying for the perfect match for you!

“He makes everything beautiful in time” Ecclesiastes 3:11

For more information, please contact adoption worker Leesa Malone at [email protected].