“More than three years before Zion Christopher was born, I had a recurring dream that someone would entrust us with their baby boy,” Shalonda, an adoptive parent with Firefly said.
Shalonda and James have been married for 25 years and have parented 6 children together. Four of those children being biological, and their two youngest joining the family through kinship care.
Kinship care involves placing a child with a relative—such as a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or other family member—when the child’s birth parents are unable to provide proper care.
As they celebrate their milestone anniversary this year, the couple reflects on the past five years and the journey they have taken to formally adopt their children, Zion Christopher and Desirae.
When they first received a call from the Department of Child Services (DCS), they quickly agreed to ensure the siblings would remain together. For Shalonda, it felt like a step toward fulfilling her earlier dreams, despite understanding the various challenges ahead.
“Navigating kinship care, adoption, and foster care is certainly not for the faint of heart,“ she said.
Shalonda shares a moment with her daughter, Desirae (left).
Despite these difficulties, the family recognizes that their children might have faced a much different and more uncertain future without external intervention as many family members were frequently involved in the prison system and struggled with substance abuse.
They felt the importance of breaking that cycle in their family.
The process required consistent effort and perseverance, but Shalonda and James noted that their older children had shown maturity and a sense of responsibility, offering support and encouragement throughout the journey.
“You know, when we were thinking about throwing in the towel the kids, our older kids really stepped up, because they just grew attached to them as well,” she said.
Their biological children, who have already developed strong bonds with their kinship siblings and adapted well to the new family dynamics.
“The resilience of our family comes from holding on together—faith, community support, and a dedicated team made this kinship placement possible,” Shalonda emphasized.
In their downtime, this family likes to spend time relaxing and watching movies and then discussing them together. These simple moments help everyone feel closer. They visit the children’s museum and go bowling, spend time with family and go to church together, savoring all of the quality time they can get.