It is everyone’s dream to have a place they can call home. For some people, this may seem like a distant possibility or a dream that will never become a reality.
In 2020, 213,964 children under 18 entered the foster care system in the United States, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Children ages 1 through 5 make up the largest percentage of children in this system, with a rate of three per 1,000.
Bryson, Brody, and Wesley were once three of these children in the foster care system in Alexandria, Kentucky. Their family life had not been the best, and they needed somewhere to call home. It was feared that the longer they stayed in foster care, the more they would be separated from one another.
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Hollie and Bryan wanted to ensure that Bryson, Brody and Wesley would always be together after learning their story. Despite not planning to have more children, they knew these young boys were meant to be a part of their family. Schroers added three more siblings to their humble abode, giving them a forever home.
What was once a temporary home for three siblings has now become their forever home. Hollie and Bryan took in brothers Bryson, Brody, and Wesley in January 2018 after they were placed in foster care.
“They lived in a hotel with their birth parents, and there was just one room for all of them, and there was a lot going on,” Hollie said. “We really didn’t want to adopt, but we fell in love with them.”
In December of that year, Bryson, Brody, and Wesley got the best Christmas present a kid could ask for: a home. They celebrated in style.
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The Campbell County courtroom in Newport, Kentucky, was filled with celebration as the adoption meant all three brothers would stay together. “It’s almost like a wedding – I’m taking on some new people, making a whole new family,” Hollie said. She said: “We already had four, three more are coming, and maybe another will join us soon.”
“They’ve been through a lot. Eventually, they realize, “We’re permanently here, and nobody can take us away from here.”
According to WCPO 9, the Schroers went to Build-A-Bear afterward so that Bryson, Brody and Wesley could adopt a bear, which added even more adoptions to their adoption day. Wesley was overjoyed with his new living situation, especially knowing that he now had parents “who take care of him.”
“Now we get to live with another forever family. It’s amazing what they do.”