The journey for Journee

Couple adopts daughter from foster care system

Andy and Karen Scaife always imagined having a family would be easy and didn’t think about complications. Shortly after trying to start a family, Karen Scaife discovered she had infertility issues and both she and Andy were carriers of the same cystic fibrosis gene. This led them on the journey of private adoption.

They had no idea that journey would bring them to their own Journee, their adopted daughter.

The Journey To Finding Journee

After years of waiting and wondering, the private adoption agency the couple was working with fell into bankruptcy and they were back to square one. After a few years of processing, they decided to look into an area they investigated many years before, adopting from the foster care system. The first organization they did an information-sharing session with was LSC.

Pre-service training began right before COVID-19 disrupted everything. The couple loved LSC’s classes and made friends with three families who they are still in contact with today. They said the adoptive home study process was easy and LSC Adoptions Coordinator Jessica Johnson was always there to answer questions. Once they were licensed and in the matching stage of the adoption process, Johnson was committed to find the right fit for the family.

“Andy and I heard so many times throughout this process that we would know immediately which child is meant to be part of your family, and this is precisely what happened,” Karen Scaife said. “I read about Journee and everything changed. Andy and I turned to each other and said, ‘I think she’s the one.’”

Once they decided to move forward, they met 7-year-old Journee a week later. They admitted they were nervous that she wouldn’t like them, but once they started talking it was like they’d known each other forever.

“She felt like part of the family already, and we knew she could accomplish anything she wanted if she was just given the support needed,” Karen Scaife said.

After that first meeting, the family’s story was fast-tracked. They were initially expecting a six-month transition of visits, sleepovers, and getting-to-know each other activities. But before they got home from that first meeting with Journee they heard from Johnson that Journee would need to leave her current foster home as soon as possible.

“It wasn’t the original plan but a weekend of clearing out her bedroom, and Journee was with us! So we are a last-minute placement success story,” Karen Scaife said.

Life As A Family

The first time Andy and Karen Scaife met Journee, they printed out some photos with information about them to share with her. They told her to think about becoming a member of their family.

The photos are still a family tradition to this day.

“Every time we do something significant, we print out the pictures and Karen writes on all of them,” Andy Scaife said. “We just

WeCo, from page 2 housing program located in West Columbia, South Carolina. The program provides a substance-free living environment for four co-ed residents at a time, has a large indoor community space for onsite intercollegiate recovery meetings, and an outdoor space for substance free tailgating and other social events. WeCo Cottage serves as a safe space for students in recovery attending any of the institutes of higher education in the surrounding area.

LSC collaborated with local partners, including Gamecock Recovery, The Courage Center, and collegiate recovery programs, to establish the program and will continue to use their guidance to create engaging events for a diverse group of college students.

“Everyone deserves to live the abundant got back from Disney, and we are on photobook number nine. Those are the things that mean a lot to Journee and you will sometimes find her just sitting and looking at the albums.”

But it hasn’t been all sunshine and laughter. Journee’s trauma history over the first seven years of her life was significant. She receives intensive in-home therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. Other difficulties they have had to overcome include helping Journee adjust to a new school, remote learning, and working diligently to reassure Journee that she was safe, wanted, and loved in their home.

“To be honest, it was very difficult at times. I would be lying if I did not share that we have all cried together wondering if things would get better,” Karen Scaife said. “Things did get better, and we could not imagine our life without Journee. She is the bravest person we’ve ever met. She is so funny, beautiful, and smart.”

Journee officially became part of the family in November 2021. She is now nine and Andy and Karen have no regrets about adopt from foster care.

“We love Journee’s name because it was our journey,” Andy Scaife said. “The whole time we were looking for the right match. When we met her, it just felt right.”

“Andy and I know we would not have our family without the support of Lutheran Services Carolinas. We owe them so much,” Karen Scaife said. “Our advice is to be open and honest with your adoption coordinator and trust the process. It’s not easy to adopt a foster child. They all have trauma, and some have significant needs, but they are worth it. They are our children.” living vision of Lutheran Services Carolinas,” said LSC President Ted Goins. “We are grateful to the Central Carolina Community Foundation for this grant to help us provide abundant living to students in recovery.”

For more information about LSC’s foster care and adoption programs, visit https:// lscarolinas.net/adoption/.

About Connected Communities grant initiative

Central Carolina Community Foundation awarded $370,000 to 14 organizations this year through its Connected Communities grant. The 14 nonprofits will launch projects that improve the quality of life in the Midlands by building a more livable, equitable and just community to live, work, play and raise a family.

In its ninth year, the Community Foundation’s Connected Communities grant initiative helps connect residents to their community and knits the Midlands together. Since inception, grants totaling $3,112,573 have been awarded to support local projects.

Connected Communities grants are funded by the Foundation’s Community Impact Endowment fund and several Field of Interest funds. These funds were established with generous gifts from visionary donors who knew their unrestricted gifts would allow the Foundation to respond to the ever-changing needs and opportunities in our region for generations.

The selected projects are located in Calhoun, Fairfield, Lexington, Newberry and Richland Counties but will serve residents in CCCF’s entire 11-county service area.

For more information about Connected Communities grants, visit www.yourfoundation.org/grants or call 803.254.5601.