Creating a Loving Family through Foster Care
Creating a loving family through Foster Care
A chance meeting on a plane set me on a path to fostering, adoption, and advocacy
Patricia Russell always dreamed of being two things: a mother and an author. Her love of writing blossomed through college and eventually writing a book became a bucket list item. As the years passed, so grew her desire to be a mother. Unable to have children, she decided to explore adoption. As a prospective single mother with regular travel commitments for work, she found it difficult to find an agency that would certify her as a foster parent.
However, fate intervened on a flight in November 2016 and her life would never be the same. It was late at night and pushing the early hours of morning when she boarded and next to her sat another weary traveler. The woman was soon affectionately dubbed her angel. Putting aside their exhaustion, pleasantries were exchanged and within minutes Patricia learned Jennifer’s affiliation with one of the child welfare agencies she reached out to with an interest in becoming a foster parent. With the connection made, Patricia shared her story: the struggle to become a mother, the search for an agency and her diminishing hope. By the end of the conversation and the flight, Jennifer was committed to helping Patricia realize her dream of becoming a mother. She knew the agency would find a way to make it work. True to her word, Jennifer put Patricia in touch with the foster care team. By January she was enrolled in training to become a foster parent. By April she was certified and in August she opened her home to arguably the sweetest baby boy she had ever laid eyes on. Her son, Ezariah, entered foster care at birth and was adopted shortly before his second birthday, but not before Patricia welcomed her daughter, Bella, in her heart and home. Bella also entered foster care as a newborn and celebrated her adoption nearly three years later, completing the Russell party of three.
Today, the trio can be found traveling across the US, visiting family and friends or exploring parks, zoos, aquariums and various other sights. Outside of her corporate responsibilities, Patricia enjoys writing, traveling and taking on new adventures. Patricia also serves on the Board of Directors for Berkshire Farm Center, the agency who certified her as a foster parent. She is an avid child welfare advocate, sharing her experiences with foster care and adoption with others. She recently paired her love of writing and her commitment to child welfare advocacy by writing and publishing the book, Foster To Friends.
Patricia, Ezariah, and Bella document their family in a yearly photoshoot.
