Meet Daniel: An Adopted Youth from Hartford, Connecticut
Daniel is a young person from Connecticut and was honored in 2004 with the prestigious Child Welfare League of America’s National Kids to Kids Award. He was recognized for his service to other youths, including volunteering with Casey Family Services’ foster parent support group, mentoring second graders, and serving on the Mayor’s Advisory Council and the Board of Education in his local community. The youth even helped to build a house with Habitat for Humanity.
Daniel’s achievements and generosity are especially striking in light of his own childhood. He was adopted shortly after his birth but was taken out of that family when he was 5 years old. After this traumatic disruption, Daniel lived in a residential facility until he was 11 years old. He was then referred to Casey Family Services, who connected him with the Christopher family. The couple served as Daniel’s foster parents until they adopted him on his 16th birthday, allowing him to exit state care with a lifelong family connection.
While being a responsible and loving member of his adopted family, Daniel still wanted to know his birth parents, not unlike many youth who have spent their childhoods in the care of others. He now enjoys a relationship with his birth mother and is in the process of seeking out his birth father with the support of his adoptive parents.
Now a college student, Daniel’s success comes from a responsibility he feels to give back to the community. “Service and involvement are important because everyone’s collaborating to make a strong and successful community,” he says. “Even the least amount of effort gives you more self-confidence; knowing you can make a difference and feeling your voice is heard.”