By Lynn Jones | After raising her children and grandchildren, Paxon Senior High School graduate Geneva Matthews felt a little melancholy and was ready for the patter of little feet in her home.
“I love children and I wanted to be able to give some love and raise children that needed my help,” she shared.
Having heard that becoming a foster parent can be the perfect opportunity to be introduced to children that need a helping hand, Matthews prayed and decided she was ready for the task. To get acclimated to the foster care process, for one year, Matthews fostered girls ages 12 – 17. During that year, Matthews was able to gain insight into the inner workings of the program that included completing a background check, attend an orientation, finish required foster parent training hours, home inspection, demonstrate the ability to provide a stable home and income to care for a child and passing a child abuse and fingerprint-based criminal background check. In the process of nurturing and sheltering the young ladies, Matthews witnessed children from broken homes that required patience, love and treating the youth as family was the key to a therapeutic foster home environment.
After the year ended, Matthews was entangled with a pregnant foster child who was unable to care for her child and eventually consented for Matthews to adopt her baby. “If there is no reunification with their parents or other relatives they can be adopted which is something I decided to do,” she said.
The moral of the story is Matthews adopted Nieemah Matthews, October 30, 2024 in the courtroom of Judge Michael A. Kalil. The happy two-year-old toddler has exceeded her growth expectations, can count to twenty, learning her ABC’s and is in a happy and thriving environment.
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