After I hung up the phone with the agency, a million questions flooded my mind at once. What if I wasn’t as prepared as I thought I was? Where was the new pack of toothbrushes? Did I just accept placement of two children at the same time? Where did I put the box of stuffed animals?
My name is Akilah Adams and I am a single mother. I have a daughter, Abbi, who is 10 years old. I own my own home, work a demanding 9-to-5 and volunteer in my community. My parents were foster parents for the majority of my childhood. It was normal for me and my siblings to return home from school to a new face who was not there when we left that morning.
Because of my upbringing, it was easy for me to transition into becoming a foster mother. My biggest motivation to become licensed was to serve my community in a deeper capacity. Currently, African Americans make up 24 percent of the population in Milwaukee. However, out of the total number of children in foster care, 67 percent are African American. That statistic was my call to action.
Two brothers, one in diapers and the other school aged, would be dropped off at my home. I knew that during the most traumatic period of their lives, I would be a source of safety, stability, peace and comfort. While driving through the city on weekend errands, the boys would point out the corner stores they used to get their snacks from, the parks that had the best monkey bars and their favorite city bus stops. I’ve made many U-turns to grab Little Debbie cakes at the corner store, pulled over for a quick climb on the monkey bars and honked and waved at countless city buses. These small acknowledgments of their past aided in the support of their future.
Becoming a foster parent has been the one of the most rewarding roles I have ever accepted. There is great need for great people who want to serve the children in our community through foster care. A loving and safe environment allows children to grow emotionally, mentally and physically. If you are interested in learning more, visit childrenswi.org/fostercare.
