Thirty children in D.C.’s foster care system officially got homes Saturday as they were legally adopted in front of a crowd of loving supporters.
DC Superior Court and the DC Child and Family Services Agency co-hosted the 30th Annual DC Adoption Day ceremony at the Moultrie Courthouse in Northwest, where comedian and adoptive mother Kym Whitley said she wants people to know they don’t have to be afraid of adopting.
“Children will change your life,” Whitley, mother to now-5-year-old Joshua, told WPGC-FM (95.5). “The day before Joshua came into my life, I was really living it up as a single person. When Joshua came into my life, everything turned upside down. …
“I literally had a human being that needed me for everything,” she said. “They can’t breathe on their own, they can’t turn on their own, eat or poop. You literally have to be there for them.”
Whitley’s journey as an adoptive mother has been documented on her reality show, “Raising Whitley,” that premiered on the OWN Network a few years ago.
“Joshua came to me at four days old in an emergency situation,” she said. “A lot of people say that baby is so blessed, he has Kym Whitley for a mama. What they don’t realize is that, no, I’m blessed.”
Adoptive parents Edward Rencher-Butler and his husband, Clifton DaCarlos Butler felt the same gratitude when they officially adopted two biological brothers ages 8 and 14.
The married couple said they will have to make a few adjustments to their professional lives to accommodate their new family. Although the adoption process was difficult, they say “it was well worth it.”
Whitley believes that having her son brought her life purpose outside of a career and making money.
“It’s fun to have a big career and make money and all that but to pour into a child’s soul, and build an individual to be ready for this world is just an amazing journey,” she said.
Carol Dalton, deputy presiding judge of Family Court, agrees with Whitley that the children have the most positive impact on the parent.
“We have many judges who have adopted, many social workers who have adopted, and they will tell you that they thought they would change the child’s life, but the children changed their lives as well,” Judge Dalton told WDCW-TV (Channel 50). “It is probably the best part of the job as a judge, to find a permanent home for a child, particularly a child in foster care.”