A Family For Every Child
A Family For Every Child
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Lisa and Arlene
Lisa and Arlene

Lisa and Arlene
Florida

Basic Info

Lisa

Age: 54
Sex: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Hispanic
Religion: Christian

Arlene

Age: 64
Sex: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Religion: Christian

Child Preferences

Age: 1 to 10 years old
Sex: Female
Max Number of Children: 3
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian, African American, Asian, Native American, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, Mixed, Bi-Racial, Unknown


Special Needs the Family is Open To: Moderate Physical/Medical Disability (Open to Discussion), Animal Allergies, Asthma, Drug Allergies, Environmental Allergies, Food Allergies, Defiant, Difficulty in Attaching, Difficulty Making Friends, Lying, Manipulative, Poor Social Skills, Self-Abuse, Stealing, Suicidal Attempts, Tantrums-Severe, Wets the Bed, Born with HIV issues or HIV Positive, Drug Addicted at Birth, Failure to Thrive, Low Birth Weight or Premature, Prenatal Drug Exposure, Gastric Tube, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Hearing Impaired, Intellectual Disability - Mild, Intellectual Disability - Moderate, Speech Delays - Mild, Speech Delays - Moderate, Vision Impaired, Anorexia/Bulimia, Hoarding, Overeating, Academically behind due to poor attendance, Cognitive Delay - Mild, Expulsion(s), Has Behavior Problems in School, Mild Learning Disabilities, Speech or Language Impairment, Suspension(s), One/Both Parents Diagnosed with Depression, One/Both Parents Have Alcohol Addiction, One/Both Parents Have Drug Addiction, One/Both Parents Diagnosed with Bipolar, Exposed to Domestic Violence, One/Both Parents Have Had a Mental Diagnosis, Child in Residential Treatment, Child has had a disrupted adoption, Multiple Placements, Residential Treatment History, Parents Willing to Seek Guardianship, Child on Probation / Parole, Convicted of Theft, Previously Incarcerated, Limited Life Expectancy Due to Illness, ADHD, AIDS, Arthritis, Cancer, Diabetes, Down Syndrome, Epilepsy, Heart Disorder: May Require Surgery, HIV, Seizures, Adjustment Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Conduct Disorder, Depression, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Previous Psychiatric Hospitalization, Reactive Attachment Disorder, Requires Medication For Psychiatric Condition/Mental Health Diagnosis, Requires Counseling/Therapy, Runaway - Occasionally, Runaway - Past, Willing to Maintain Contact via Mail with Bio Family, Willing to Maintain Contact with Past Foster Parents, Willing to Maintain Contact with Bio Grandparents & Other Relatives, Willing to Maintain Contact with Bio Siblings, Child Identifies as LGBT

Environment

State: Florida
Neighborhood: Suburban
Residency: Single Family Home
Years Together: 10
Children in the Home: 4
Pet(s): Small animal/rodent(s)

Work

Lisa

Occupation:

Arlene

Occupation:

Adoption Agency

Agency: The Children's Network of Southwest Florida
Worker: Naomi Johnson
Worker: njohnson@cnswfl.org
City: Fort Myers
State: Florida
Zip: 33901

Family Description

As a two parent home (two women) we would like to adopt a girl or a sibling group of girls. We can accommodate a sibling group of up to 3 kids. Our daughter Khloey is looking forward to having forever sisters. Any ethnic background will blend in with our family because we are a blended family. We are willing to accept minor or medically correctable conditions, a child w/special needs PTSD, attachment, learning, or developmental delays no serious permanent disability. We are open to learning more. We would love and welcome previous connections. As many people that can love a child and have them feel as though they are family are welcome here. That just means our family will grow that much larger (children and extended family) :) Makes us happy!!!

Preference Description

Looking to adopt a sibling group of girls between 1 to 10 yrs old, any ethnic background. Will accept minor or medically correctable conditions, a child w/special needs PTSD, attachment, learning, or developmental delays no serious permanent disability.

The Velez Family Profile

As a two parent home (two women) we would like to adopt a girl or a sibling group of girls. We can accommodate a sibling group of up to 3 kids. Our daughter Khloey is looking forward to having forever sisters. Any ethnic background will blend in with our family because we are a blended family. We are willing to accept minor or medically correctable conditions, a child w/special needs PTSD, attachment, learning, or developmental delays no serious permanent disability. We are open to learning more.

We would love and welcome previous connections. As many people that can love a child and have them feel as though they are family are welcome here. That just means our family will grow that much larger (children and extended family) :) Makes us happy!!!

Introduction

Arlene (Mama) is retired from Corrections, (photographed with glasses). Lisa (Mommy) is retired from Law Enforcement. Khloey, our adopted princess is the CEO of our home. :) We do everything together making it a learning experience. Currently we are looking for property because we are interested in having a mini farm. We are spending a lot of time going to farms to learn about animals. Grocery shopping is a fun learning experience (counting, adding, subtracting, and price comparison). It is much more fun that just traditional grocery shopping. Kitchen time is fun too. Introduction of foods are easier when little ones are involved. Baking happens to be Khloey and Mama's favorite activities. Mama loves eating what Khloey bakes :). We attend the YMCA for exercise classes and Khloey comes with us because they have a child watch program which she happens to love. We are a Disney family too. Disney passes are always in order. Tampa Lowry Park & Zoo is another one of our yearly passes. Lots of fun and educational experiences.

Home and Community

We live in the State of Florida. Our home is a single family home with an in ground pool in a deed restricted area. We live in a 3 bedroom home with a living room and family room. Our family room is where the TV is along with the pretend kitchen, strollers, and shopping carts. We turned our "formal living room & formal dining" into a craft room and kids' library. You will see hot pink book shelves with a reading section into the corner with pillows. A long craft table with crayons, paper, scissors, markers, stickers to get those creative minds going. Our home is kid geared. The main bathroom is Minnie Mouse theme with pink handles on all the cabinets.

We have a dance studio in walking distance from our home. They teach dance, tap, jazz, hip hop, tumbling and music. Khloey attends this dance studio. We also have the local YMCA which teaches many classes and has organized sports (soccer, t-ball, baseball, football, cheerleading, etc). Khloey also is involved in soccer. Getting involved in the community keeps us busy

Parenting Experience

We both have had lots of experience both separate and together. I, Lisa, raised three boys mostly as a single parent. Arlene raised her niece since 3 months old and her nephew since 18 years of age - they both have cognitive disorders. They are doing very well as adults with minimal guidance. Together Arlene & I have fostered over 25 children both in traditional foster care and medical foster care. Not only did we foster these children but we mentored their parents.

We take advantage of all trainings offered through The Children's Network of SWFL. We have learned through all the services that are available that NO two kids are the same. What might have worked while raising your own children doesn't necessarily work for others. Even with our own adopted daughter we are still learning and are very open to learn.

Support

Our mother is an important part of our lives. My youngest adult son (21 years old) is our backup in the event something would happen to the both of us. We are involved with other foster and adoptive parents through trainings, support groups and play dates. There are many services available in our area. We are centrally located between Fort Myers and Sarasota. They both have Children' s Hospitals with just about every service available. There are also satellite offices right in our town. We do have a great pediatrician we use for our daughter. Once we know what services are required we don't have a problem doing the leg work and advocating for our children. If the services are not covered by Medicaid we will make sure they still get what is needed. We are not going to settle for services that are substandard because of insurance.

Motivation to Adopt

Our family is the #1 priority for us. If we are faced with challenges we have never dealt with we will seek help to teach us what we need to do. Reaching out for help and learning everything we can. Any challenge can be overcome with the proper tools. We strive to have all children placed with us to be happy, healthy and well adjusted. We will insure they feel safe, secured and loved.