Celebrating the 'Firsts'

Kaleb had been in foster care for more than 5 years when he was adopted at age 13.  He missed out on a lot of the 'firsts' that most kids experience while growing up such as participating in sports and birthday parties.  Kaleb shares below what a difference having a family made in his life:

"Being adopted has changed my life. It had given me the great feeling in the world. I finally have a group that supports me and loves me unconditionally. It means the world to me that they have taken me in and love me like their own. It's almost like having a dream come true. When I was in foster care, I would want to leave and go somewhere else. But here, I know I never want to leave and I know I never have to leave. I know I won't have to go from school to school so I can put more effort into my grades. I can have friends and build relationships with teachers and coaches. I can play sports now, and that's something that I've never been able to do before. I've had so many firsts since being brought into my family. I had my first birthday party at the age of 13, experienced my first over night stay with friends, experienced my first basketball conference win, and go to my first homecoming.