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There’s no bigger day on the kid calendar than Christmas morning. The Give Joy program through FosterAdopt Connect aims to ensure foster families in the Kansas City area don’t miss out on the joys of the holiday season.
“You hear the stampede before the sun,” Dowe Young said. “They beat the sun, right? And wrapping paper, wrapping paper from that point on. It's everywhere, and everyone's ready. I mean, I've cried a few Christmases, right? The way that it gives you the warm, warm and fuzzies. It’s something, as a parent, there's no better feeling. The joy in your children's faces, it's infectious.”
Young and her husband, Julian, have four children and adopted a fifth. They’ve also been foster parents to 31 other children, including two at present.
“When you are a foster parent, and you're caring for these kiddos, there's so much that goes along with just every day-to-day care, visits, who's coming, what specialists, where do they need to go, appointments, all those things,” Young said.
It’s a lot to manage, but it’s an important mission for the Youngs.
“He actually has a background in juvenile justice,” Young said of her husband. “He's worked as a supervisor at a juvenile detention facility, so he has a passion for it and so do I.”
When she was a child, Young’s aunt died, so her cousins moved in and effectively became siblings, so they view such kinship as critical.
“They've since gone on to become really successful people,” Young said of her cousins and siblings, noting the similarity to taking in foster children. “... sharing a family seems minute to many people, but honestly, you can change the trajectory of someone's life.”
Still, it can make Christmas a challenge when there are seven kids between the ages of 2 and 12 in the house. They expect Santa Claus to come through, so you can’t spoil Christmas morning.
“No, I dare not,” Dowe said. “... Not at all. Christmas is a big deal.”
But it can be tough to make sure every kid has a great Christmas.
“The economic situation makes it really hard for families, and the holiday season can be a burden anyway,” Terri Goddard, the director of community engagement and special events for FosterAdopt Connect, said. “The number and the need just seems to be increasing year by year. ... the kids have already usually been through some sort of traumatic experience, so we just want to make the holidays bright for all children.”
FosterAdopt Connect served approximately 1,600 kids last Christmas and expects to serve at least that many again in 2026, but they need people to step up. Joy Makers, as the organization calls them, can help by sponsoring a child or family or donating directly to FosterAdopt Connect.
There are still roughly 700 Joy Makers needed for kids across the Kansas City region.
“Last year we made it, and last year was pretty tough,” Goddard said. “SNAP benefits had been taken away at this time, and we were really struggling last year. But people stepped up. ... Our fingers are crossed that our community is going to come through for us.”
It makes a world of difference for vulnerable kids and generous families in the community.
“Just you're able to breathe,” Young said. “... I'm so grateful that FosterAdopt Connect has this program, because it really is just, as a foster parent, just a wonderful, wonderful resource in the community.”
In addition to foster children, the Give Joy program accepts non-foster children living in foster homes, “which for them is almost like a thanks for sharing your parents,” Young said.
