The holidays are a joyous time for most, and the Alcaraz family of Bothell, Washington is no exception. Mother Stephanie, father Richardo and daughter Kristy excitedly anticipate this holiday season, but the past few years have shined brighter for them, due in large part to their adopted daughter, 12-year old Helen. 

Helen was placed in foster care at the age of three as part of a sibling group of seven and moved through 14 homes before being placed in her forever home with the Alcaraz family in 2016, through the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program. She was removed and quiet when she first came to live with the Alcaraz’s but quickly warmed up and is now a “cuddle-bug” and a happy young girl, enjoying life with her sister and parents in Washington state. 

Wendy’s Wonderful Kids, in partnership with Children’s Home Society of Washington is a national program of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, established to encourage adoption of children who are 9 years or older and/or who have special needs from the foster care system. Our specially trained adoption recruiters work with the organization and the Department of Children, Youth, and Families  (DCYF), focusing on older children, sibling groups and children with special needs. 

Stephanie recounts the events leading up to Helen joining their family three years ago in 2016 with a mix of emotions. “We were approached by a teacher of [Helen’s] and just knew we needed to do something to help this young girl. We were overwhelmed with everything [about the process] and had a million questions about the adoption and the child.” The adoption process can be emotional and arduous, but with the help of dedicated professionals at Children’s Home Society of Washington, the Alcaraz family began to replace their feelings of overwhelm with joy and anticipation. “This amazing program helped my family in ways that I didn’t know were possible; they gave us our little girl and all the support we needed through the process of her becoming our forever child,” Stephanie said. 

“There is no possible way we can thank this program and our amazing recruiter enough; you’ve made our family whole, gave us our daughter and gave our birth daughter a sister and a best friend for life,” Alcaraz stated. “People need programs like Wendy’s Wonderful Kids, because if it wasn’t for this program we wouldn’t have this amazing child in our life and our daughter would still be an only child, lacking an amazing sister relationship and a lifetime of memories to be created and cherished.”