NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — An organization that works to find homes for children in the foster care system is sharing a certain need. They're looking for parents to foster or adopt siblings. For many reasons, those siblings can be separated in the foster care system.
This is the story of one couple who answered call.
A crowd gathered in a hallway at the Rutherford County Judicial Center. At the center of the crowd was Larry and Tammy Pointer. They go by Mrs. Tammy and Mr. Larry.
This was not what a family reunion usually looks like.
"A lot different!" Mr. Larry laughed. "Ribs, steaks, chicken, hamburgers, hotdogs."
Those reunions are usually in a backyard. The best part? Someone other than Mr. Larry works the grill.
"I'm at my seat sitting down!" he laughed. "I earned that privilege!"
Even still, this was a family reunion and one where the family was growing.
I need to share a few things that led us here.
Mr. Larry and Mrs. Tammy met while they were both bus drivers for metro schools.
"Did you know Mrs. Tammy was the one?" I asked.
"Not really, I didn't," Mr. Larry said as both he and Mrs. Tammy laughed. "I didn't, not at first."
The two later hit it off and married with a certain shared care for children.
"Being a school bus driver, and having 70 kids on one bus at a time without a monitor, I knew how kids act," Mrs. Tammy explained.
They ended up fostering 20 children.
Over at Youth Villages, foster care assistant director Claire Moses said there is always a hope they can keep siblings together who are in the foster care system.
"We have homes that are sometimes divided by gender, so like a boy home or a girl home," she explained. "Sometimes when siblings are removed from a home, the siblings they have are some of the most important people in their life. We want them to keep that relationship and live with one another, because they have such a shared experience."
With that in mind, Mrs. Tammy and Mr. Larry lead a huge group of family and friends into a courtroom.
A brother and sister can't appear on camera or be named out of a request for privacy by the family. They were being adopted together by Mrs. Tammy and Mr. Larry.
"It's a wonderful feeling," Mrs. Tammy nodded. "We know we have a village out here, and we're not in this alone to have all our family."
"I'm in awe of individuals that have stepped up to help," the judge told Mrs. Tammy and Mr. Larry. "It takes special people, and you are special. It is selfless. It is such a selfless act, and this court really, really appreciates it. The court hereby grants this adoption. Congratulations."
It wasn't a cookout, but this was a family gathering to remember forever.
"We can love on each other and learn how to grow together," said Mrs. Tammy.
To learn more about fostering or adopting a child, you can visit Youth Villages here.
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
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