NEWSLETTER ARTICLES written for the Community Based Care of Brevard

LINDA'S FAMILY

            Linda Lennear has added joy to her life by becoming a single adoptive and foster mother.

With her motherly bearing and affection toward the children she cares for, one would never know the children are not her biological offspring.

Over the past three plus years she has sheltered about 50 children of various ages, genders and races, some for as little as a day, some for more than a year.

Although she prefers housing no more than three children at a time, she has temporarily cared for up to five children at her home in Cocoa.

“People know I love children. I always wanted to have children but never had to opportunity to have them,” said Lannear, who serves as an editorial assistant at Patrick Air Force Base, creating such published products as the base “Bulletin.”

Lannear, who had been named “godmother” of many children at her church, never dreamed of becoming a foster parent until a friend at church suggested it.

            “I hadn’t considered becoming a foster parent, but after I thought about it I began to see it was something I could do to help children,” said Lannear, who serves as youth director at her church, Fresh Start Living Ministry in Cocoa.

            Lannear began fostering children through working with Crosswinds, a nonprofit agency.

            Because of state support, first through the Department of Children & Families, and now through Community Based Care of Brevard, Lannear is able to afford to take care of the children she shelters.

Living and other expenses of the children are defrayed by state funds. Local nonprofit groups also help with such things as school supplies and Christmas presents.

            And beyond finances even though she’s single Lannear doesn’t pull all the weight of her adoptive and foster children alone.

            That’s because she’s fortunate to have a supportive family who is quick to embrace the children she cares for.

            “They always include the children and make them feel part of the family,” Lannear said. “Not every foster parent has the same degree of support from their family, but when they do, it really makes a difference in these children’s lives.”

            Lennear is also blessed with have a church that welcomes her children with open arms. The pastor, Joanne Kimbrough, goes out of her way to integrate the foster children into the church community, Lennear said.

            “They know I’m helping these children, so they help me any way they can,” Lennear said.

            The church often covers activity costs for Leannear’s foster children.

            Lennear has been sheltering her foster child Tiffany, for several years. To all appearances Tiffany is a happy and healthy 16 year old.

            “Even though I’m a foster child, I’m just like any other child,” said Tiffany, who maintains a 4.0 average and participates in a variety of activities, including serving as a student leader in several organizations.

            Tiffany said she much prefers living with a foster family to being in a group home.

            “It makes you feel like you’re part of a real family,” she said.

            About a year and a half ago, Lannear adopted her now 6-year-old Joaquan. He had been placed in her care and the two bonded.

            Watching the two interact, no one would guess they hadn’t been together since his birth. It’s a testament to the fact that love is not based on blood relationships but commitment and caring.

            “These children are wonderful. They just need love,” she said.

SAM'S FAMILY

Sam and Brenda Gutierrez wanted a child and decided to adopt because they weren’t able to have their own.

Like many would-be adoptive parents they quickly drew a specific picture in their head of the right kind of child for them. They weren’t concerned about race or gender, but age was a big factor.

Originally they hoped to adopt an infant, even if it meant adopting a child from another country, but the costs were astronomical, far more than they felt they could afford.

So the Rockledge residents considered an alternate option. Sam Gutierrez, who heads public relations for Space Gateway Support at Kennedy Space Center, knew through his Adopt-A-Child Christmas-gift-donation program at work that many foster children are available for adoption.

“I organized and managed the Adopt-A-Child program at SGS so I became increasingly aware of how much need there is,” Sam Gutierrez said.

While the Department of Children & Family and their foster care provider Community Based Care of Brevard try hard to reunite children and their families when children are removed from their home because of abuse or neglect or the death of both parents. But in some cases termination of parental rights is required to protect the child, and sometimes no grandparent or other relative is available to adopt the child.

About 50 children in Brevard County currently are available for adoption.

“As we thought more about adopting a foster child the idea seemed extremely attractive to us,” Brenda Gutierrez said. “There are so many children in this country who need a good home.”

The couple decided to adopt a young child because they felt they would have a better chance of instilling their values and bonding with a younger child. They were afraid an older child would be too set in his or her ways and carry more emotional baggage.

“We had our mind set on adopting a child no older than about six years old,” Sam Gutierrez. “There was no way we going to budge on the age issue.”

In preparation they took a parenting course sanctioned by the department. While they were in class their instructor approached them about considering an 8-year-old biracial child named “Robert” for adoption.

Even though the instructor told him he was a “great kid” the couple decided to hold out for a child who fit the picture in their head.

“We just weren’t willing to consider adopting an older child,” Sam Gutierrez said.

But then Robert’s name kept coming up. Finally, wondering if the “hand of God” was tugging at their fate they decided to meet the boy.

            That first dinner meeting with Robert changed all their preconceptions about what they wanted in a child. They soon realized that Robert was the one. They fell in love with his gentle nature and beautiful smile.

            Now at 14, Robert is a well-adjusted teen with interests including basketball and his mixed-breed dog, Snickers.

            “I’ll never forget that first meeting,” Brenda Gutierrez said. “If more people who want to adopt would just agree to meet children who aren’t exactly what they think they’re looking for they might find a child who’s right for them. If we hadn’t softened our stance we would have never met Robert.”

            Currently 100 families are waiting for the right child to adopt.

            The Gutierrezes found that when it comes to adopting it’s the heart that sees more clearly than the head.

            “Everything we have given to him has returned to us one hundred fold. He’s a blessing,” Sam Gutierrez said.