Making It Happen - The Tuohy Family Foundation

‼️Attention Title 1 Teachers‼️

✂️We are on a roll with our project and want to give more teachers the opportunity to submit classroom wishlist’s! 📚

✏️The submission link is below and on our website will be open for the next 24 hours for any Title 1 teachers who would like to submit a supply wishlist. 📎

📓PLEASE SEE ALL GUIDELINES AND RULES ON HOW TO PARTICIPATE ON OUR WEBSITE! Wishlists with unapproved items or not following all the rules will not be published on our website. 🚌

https://www.makingithappenfoundation.com/teacher-wish-lists/

‼️ATTENTION: Title 1 Teachers!

📚The deadline to submit teacher wish lists is TOMORROW FRIDAY, JUNE 28 at 5:00 PM CST!

🌟Wish lists must only contain approved supplies listed on our website and total cost of all items should not exceed $500!

https://www.makingithappenfoundation.com/teacher-wish-lists/

ATTENTION TEACHERS‼️

We want to make sure everyone understands this year’s rules and guidelines for submitting wish lists for MIH!

Please use the link below to see the full list of guidelines and link to submit your lists on our website!

https://www.makingithappenfoundation.com/teacher-wish-lists/

Calling all Title 1 Teachers! We would love to support you and your students this year and ease some of the financial burden by purchasing back to school supplies via Amazon wish lists. We have some rules that need to be followed so please click the link below to learn all the details. You have until Friday, June 28 at 5pm CT to submit your Amazon wish list.

For those of you that want to PURCHASE supplies, lists will be posted soon. We are praying this will be the best school year yet!

https://www.makingithappenfoundation.com/teacher-wish-lists/

Please share Ally! ❤️❤️Posted • I had the privilege to celebrate yet another birthday this week. It was my 63rd. Goodness that is a big number but I am grateful to the good Lord for allowing me to continue to celebrate each one! Birthdays are such special days to enjoy cake, gifts and whatever fun activities that make you happy. Did you see my new bubble blaster? OMG! It made me so happy! For me my birthday is always a time of reflection and pondering how I want to finish this journey. I then started thinking about the kids that are in foster care and how their birthdays may not be celebrated. I’ve crossed paths with so many kids that have never had a cake. Didn’t even know their correct birth date. No parties. No balloons. No blowing out of candles. No celebration of them being born. That breaks my heart. We have an opportunity to change that for many. We have an opportunity to bring love, joy and laughter to kids that are so deserving. 

Please meet Alexandrea, who goes by the name Ally. She deserves it all. She is 13 years old and lives in Alabama. Ally likes doing hair. She is outgoing and easily makes friends. She enjoys social media, especially TikTok. She loves to make others laugh. I can’t imagine Ally becoming a teenager at age 13 and not having a big deal made about her. She may have, and I hope that is the case for Ally and all the hundreds of thousands of kids in foster care, but more often than not these special days are overlooked or just very ordinary. Typically everyone is trying to keep their head above water and just get the basics done! We need you on our team sharing, praying and posting the kids. Do you have room in your heart and home for Ally? Do you know a family that does? ❤️
For more information on Ally please contact [email protected]
 

All teachers are Super Heroes in our book! School has started in many places and we hope and pray everyone is off to a great start!

Please share Jamari! Thank you!!! ❤️Posted • Happy Forever Family Friday everyone. I’m going to start this post out with this statement…”In my opinion” …In my opinion there are a lot of misconceptions and stereotyping of kids in the foster care system. Again, this is strictly my opinion so don’t get all bent out of shape if you don’t agree. We’re all allowed an opinion… at least on my social media. People have so many preconceived notions about these kids in foster care…they are this or that or they have done this or that wrong or have not done what they should have and on and on. It’s time to change the conversation because so much of that is inaccurate. Sure there are situations where there are problems but not the entire landscape of foster care and the kids in the system can be labeled the same. We have to start working through these stereotypes. We have to infuse hope and love into their situations. We need to offer permanency and protection. We must all come together as a community and mentor and open our hearts and hands to help. Here’s a young man that needs us. He needs a family. 

Please allow me to introduce you to Jamari! He is 13 years old and lives in Georgia. Jamari’s favorite holiday is Christmas and he likes pizza. Football and basketball are the sports he likes the best, and he enjoys playing video games. When he grows up Jamari would like to be a coder! (Hello !) Math is his favorite subject in school, as well as science. The one thing he is proud of is being smart. If he had one super power it would be to stop time.

Jamari needs a loving adoptive family who will give him the attention, support, encouragement, structure and a nurturing environment. Don’t we all?! For more information on Jamari please contact Rebecca at [email protected]. Thank you!❤️
 

Please share Peyton! ❤️ Posted • Happy Y’all! While it has been an extremely busy week for Team Tuohy prepping and preparing for our clear the lists for our teachers I do not want to ever miss an opportunity to talk about a kid in foster care that needs our help. So let’s shift gears for just a minute and talk about helping in another way. Did you know that helping others can actually help you? I’m serious. It makes you feel useful and brings you a sense that you’ve made a real difference. It brings you true joy and happiness. It’s like giving and helping others changes your brain chemistry for the better. This “InstaVillage” of ours that we are a part of may not be able to change this crazy world but we might be able to change the world for a few amazing humans. Let me introduce you to one of those humans!

Please meet Peyton! She is 14 years old and lives in Florida. You may remember her sister Haley we shared in December. We just learned they BOTH need forever families! How sweet it would be if these 2 girls could be adopted together! Peyton is extremely outgoing, loves to talk and meet new people and is quite entertaining (I have heard that description before!) She loves math and science and says her friends would describe her as friendly.

Peyton will continue to blossom and thrive in a family who can provide the perfect balance of love, nurture, structure, discipline and consistency. She has been in foster care for 9 ½ years. That’s CRAZY! The hardest part Peyton says is getting to know people and going house to house. To her family means love, support and caring about children. Let’s see if we can’t change the world for Peyton and bring her some consistence and stability.

For more information on Peyton please contact Heart Gallery of Tampa at 813-390-5345 or DM us! Thank you!❤️

Photographer: Alicia Johnson Photography.

The first round of teacher wish lists are posted! Click this icon on our website then select a teacher and shop away! If you purchase one pack of paper or clear a whole list YOU are making a difference! Together we can show our teachers we love them and how valued they are! Thank you! Thank you! www.MakingItHappenFoundation.com

Posted • Happy y’all. So here’s a question for you…How many of you have googled foster care, adoption from foster care, or any related subject? Have you read as much as you could find about it…wherever you could find information about it? I guess if the answer to that is yes then I’m talking to you. I was in that same spot years ago. I read everything I could find over and over again. I bought books and asked questions but I have learned on this journey that experience teaches you more than anything. Nothing you read or hear about really prepares you for our flawed system. I found out so much by doing. I found that the village you create around you for help and assistance is critical. I also think that family fit matters. How much additional load and responsibility can your family take on? Looking at all these factors and others can determine if you and your family are ready for the next step or are you the family that might could assist and be part of the village for a new foster family? We all can play a role…it’s just a matter of finding your spot. And I’d like to say one more thing…shocker…Don’t get so caught up in “the difficult and the challenge” that you lose sight of the fun and warm fuzzy moments. Let me introduce you to a young man that you definitely want to be a part of his village!

Please meet Russell! He is 13, lives in Arizona, and is a joy to be around.  He enjoys meeting and being around people by just spending time, whether it be a good show, playing games, eating a meal or exploring outside. Russell is open to new experiences, has a great smile and can make you laugh. He loves going to school to not only learn but to be around his friends. In the future he wants to become a SWAT leader.

Russell’s ideal family is one that would shower him with love and is adventurous but also laid back. I KNOW this describes many of you! And many people you know! Please share. Please talk about and pray for Russell. And all the kids we post and those in need of their forever family. They need us. Thank you! ❤️
For more info [email protected].
 

Please share Nelson! ❤️Posted • Happy Forever Family Friday. As I sat looking at the young man that I am sharing today I thought about the first time Sean and I talked about posting kids each week that needed a forever family. I was hopeful that we could find just one child a forever family. Just one. I would then consider this ministry successful. And…Here we are, several years later and while there is still much work to do numerous kids have been placed with families. We have planted seeds of awareness as well as uplifted and provided for many others. I hope and pray that some of this awareness leads to action. We all need to take action for those in the foster care system that feel alone, forgotten and uncared for. This young man deserves a forever family. Please allow me to introduce you to Nelson. 

Nelson is 17 and lives in Tennessee. He is an extremely energetic young man that is a great critical thinker and problem solver with great potential. He enjoys swimming, video games and sports, especially basketball. Music is important to him, as is his faith. He once wrote a rap song called “I Love the Lord” that says “Get on your knees and pray. You’ve got to love the Lord, love the Lord, love the Lord. ” Nelson says he looks to the Lord to help him with his troubles. God bless Nelson and every person but especially those that are searching and seeking for the things that many of us take for granted. 
Nelson’s friends say he is funny, creative and intelligent. And that he likes doing things that helps other people out. Nelson said if he had 3 wishes the number one thing would be for a family. When asked what family means to him he said “Family means someone who loves me, cares about me, that respects me and I respect them.” Yes…I’m crying. Can you help us find Nelson a family? Do you know someone who can? Your help would be greatly appreciated! ❤️For more info: [email protected] or DM us!

Please share Anthony! Thank you! ❤️Posted • It is very typical to hear people talking about adopting a child out of foster care and they say something like, “I just feel more comfortable taking a younger child in than a teen.” And I somewhat understand that with the fear of the unknown and all the risk issues that are running through their minds. BUT…More than 30% of the kids who enter foster care are teens! We just can’t stand by and let these kids go unseen and be pushed to the side. We have to show up for these kids. We have to let them know they are wanted and valuable. Get out of your comfort zone. They are worth it. The clock is ticking for so many of them that are close to aging out and yet they still long for their forever family. Here’s a prime example of exactly what I’m talking about.
Please allow me to introduce you to Anthony! He is 17 years old and lives in Arizona. Anthony has an infectious spirit and always has a big smile on his face. He loves all sports but his favorite is football. When he’s not scoring touchdowns on the field Anthony is tinkering with computers. He likes to work on them and figure out how they operate plus create things with them as well. Anthony loves to laugh and enjoys telling jokes or a good tall tale. An active family that can make him feel loved plus provide the structure and routine to help him thrive is ideal.

Is your family active with structure and routine? Do you have space in your heart and home for Anthony? Do you know a family that could? Please share Anthony on your social media. For information on Anthony please contact [email protected] Thank you! ❤️

Please share Tray! ❤️Posted • The journey of being a foster parent or the forever family of a child coming from the system is a mixed bag of emotions and experiences. It ranges from beautiful and sweet to heartbreaking and hard. But guess what…God heals those that have been hurt and transforms lives and hearts every second of everyday! He changed lives that you would have thought could never have been transformed. What we need are people to step up and open their homes and their hearts to these kids. I am hoping that more and more awareness comes from our Forever Family Friday posts and that awareness will lead folks to action. Action that will help us transform lives and bring awareness to these amazing kids longing for a family. 

Please allow me to introduce you to Tray (short for D’Atrayhemia). Let’s help him find his forever family. He is 13 years old and lives in Alabama. His personality is loving and kind and his favorite colors are red and black. He enjoys playing video games, basketball, and drawing. In school, he enjoys both reading and math yet social studies is his favorite. He loves to go is church, where he can sing his favorite songs. Me too! Mexican is his favorite food. Mine too! Three words Tray uses to describe himself are funny, friendly and nice. I love that! 

Can you be the forever family for Tray? Do you know someone who could? For more information please contact [email protected]
Thank You ❤️

Photo by Jessi Casara

Please share Kevin! ❤️Posted • There are over 400,000 kids in the foster care system and currently only around 213,000 licensed foster parents. Those numbers are like a flashing neon sign that says “we are in a foster care crisis!” 100,000 of those 400,000 kids are currently eligible for adoption. All we need is someone to say yes. So many of these kids have been shuffled from place to place and have no sense of permanency. Most of them probably had around 10 minutes each time they were moved to throw their personal belongings into a black trash bag to travel. It has just been a continual cycle of disappointment and heartbreak for them. These kids deserve more than 10 minutes. These are some of the most vulnerable kids in our communities and they need our support. They need us to be an advocate for them. Here is a young man that deserves someone championing for him and someone advocating for him and someone to support him and he certainly deserves more than 10 minutes of someone’s time.

Please allow me to introduce you to Kevin. He is 10 years old and lives in Arizona. Kevin is an avid DC comic lover and will tell you all about the different characters and their stories. He also likes Legos, trucks and coloring. With a great imagination Kevin has some great adventures during play time.

Kevin loves school and enjoys spending time with his peers and playing games. The ideal family for Kevin would be one that is warm and has solid boundaries, while being silly and playing around. A family that is patient and understanding would allow Kevin to get comfortable and know that he can trust them.

Patient, understanding and silly. Is that your family? Do you know of a family that would be perfect for Kevin? Reminder the first step is to get your home study done and information on how is on our foundation’s website. www.MakingItHappenFoundation.com. Please join us in helping find Kevin his forever family. Thank you!❤️

Please contact Heather at [email protected] or DM us!

Posted • Happy Forever Family Friday Y’all. So right now as you are reading this post there are hundreds of thousands of children and teens in our foster care system who are waiting for the love and security that a permanent home and a forever family provides. A family that will help with healing and restoration. People that they can look to and know are dependable and trustworthy. These kids are longing for the basics…family dinners, playing board games with parents and siblings and just having loved ones to share how their day went. Please allow me to introduce you to a young man that wants to be a part of a family that takes care of each other. Is that asking too much? Most kids his age should NOT have that on their wish list! It’s heartbreaking. 

Please meet Hunter! He is 11 years old and lives in Tennessee. Hunter likes sports - especially basketball and football but also frisbee, fishing and hunting. He loves nature and dogs and would be excited to be part of a family that has dogs. Hunter is creative and is very thoughtful with those he cares about. Pizza is his favorite food and his ideal birthday would be swimming. When he gets older he would like to go in the army!
 
Belonging in a family means taking care of each other Hunter says. Can you be the family that can help take care of Hunter?

For more information please contact [email protected] or DM us! ❤️
 

Please share Atischa! ❤️Posted • According to the National Foster Youth Institute, of the kids who will age out of foster care, 20% will instantly become homeless. Only half of them will be gainfully employed by the age of 24. Less than 3% of them will earn a college degree. Seven out of 10 girls who age out of the system will become pregnant before the age of 21. Do you want me to go on with the grim statistics? It’s not pretty. 23,000 kids will age out of the foster care system this year and face these awful statistics. It makes me angry. It makes me sad. It breaks my heart. Here is a young lady that deserves our time and attention. She deserves a forever family. She’s close to aging out of the system but there is still time for us to make a difference. She is going to need love and support. She is going to need us! The transition into adulthood is tough enough with all of the negative possibilities staring you in the face. Just because kids age out of foster care does not mean they stop needing people in their corner. People to love and believe in them and support them. Here’s a young lady that needs all of that.

Please allow me to introduce you to Atischa who is living in Alabama. She need us more than ever as she just turned 19 years old. Fortunately in the state of Alabama children have the option to stay in foster care until age 21. She has just a few short more years. Atischa has a loving personality and her friends would describe her as funny, honest and real. She likes to play sports in addition to drawing, singing and shopping. In school she does well and art, math and reading are her favorite subjects. Sushi is her favorite food and she would like to be an art teacher when she grows up. Atischa is a very caring person and a good friend to many.
 
Can you be a forever family for Atischa? Do you know someone who can? Can you be the one that will ensure no more birthdays or holidays or special moments are forgotten? Please share this post! Please pray for and talk about her this week. For more information please contact  [email protected] or DM us! ❤️
📸 Olivia B Photography
 

Please share Dominic!!! Thank you! Posted • Happy y’all. We are in the middle of National Foster Care Awareness month and Lord knows we all need more awareness! When I was reading about Dominic I paused when he said he admires Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and “wishes everyone could be treated equally.” What a wise young man. Each week I have that same thought. Why can’t this child have a loving home? Regular check ups? A bed of his own? Someone to go to her parent teachers meetings at school? WHY?! My wish is that all children would be treated equally by having loving parents who are concerned about, care for, and love them. Have stability and structure. Birthday parties and graduation celebrations. 400,000+ kids are facing these obstacles to no fault of their own. You can look up the grim statistics of what happens to kids in foster care. Or DM me and I will share them with you. It’s not pretty. These kids are all of our responsibilities. Let me introduce you to one young man that needs a door opened to hope, love and opportunity. Please meet Dominic! 

Dominic is 15 and lives in FL. This “future engineer” is highly motivated and intelligent. He enjoys fencing, designing, and building things. Dominic makes friends easily and is known to be very outgoing. He loves to talk and teach people things he knows, specifically anything science related.

Dominic describes himself as smart and caring and his friends would describe him as “helpful.” He looks up to Martin Luther King, Jr. because of his bravery, and he wishes everyone could be treated equally. A perfect day would be playing volleyball at the beach then indulging in shrimp and crab legs. The ideal family would be very active and engaged in Dominic’s life with individual attention. He would be well suited with a family who has clear boundaries and a lot of patience.

Can you share this post? Can you help us find that forever family for Dominic? Can YOU be that forever family? Thank you for journeying with us each week! ❤️ For more info: Heart Gallery of Tampa 813-390-5345 📸 J.Lebron Photography.

Please share! Posted • Happy everyone! This has been a week of shared stories that have really made me realize that we are so doing the right thing looking for families for kids in foster care. I’ve always thought I’ve needed to light a fire under folks to get them interested and involved but my goal is to now light a fire within you. I want you to have a burning desire to help these kids that are doing without…without hope, love, security, basic necessities, opportunities…I could go on and on. I could tell you about the young man this week that got a pair of new shoes and his first statement was that now he would fit in at school. He would have shoes that actually fit him. Not a pair of Nikes - just shoes that fit. Or the young lady that aged out of the system and through a church and some amazing folks got an apartment and with tears in her eyes said, “this is the best and nobody will tell me I have to leave and I have 10 minutes to get my stuff together.“ Those stories just physically make me so angry. Shoes that fit and a place to sleep that is your own. What is going on in this world?

Did you know every 2 minutes a kid enters the foster care system in the US. Every 2 minutes! These heartbreaking stories and statistics are not going away but we can do our best to come together as a community and try to find loving homes for these kids. Together we can make a difference. Please allow me to introduce you to Jacob and Rylin. They deserve not to be a statistic. They deserve hope, love and opportunity. 

Jacob (12) and Rylin (7) are brothers from AZ. They love to play with army men, dinosaurs and cars. They both enjoy technology, gaming, puzzles, and board games. Outside they like to play basketball and dart guns.

Jacob and Rylin would benefit from a loving, nurturing, structured family that has the time and attention to meet their needs. They need parents to be involved in any needed services they may have. This sounds like a list that should be for every child. This is not a special list exclusive to these boys. All children deserve parents to be involved. [email protected] or contact us! Thank you! ❤️

Please share Qwinshon! Posted • Happy y’all. Did you know that May is foster care awareness month? I know we are just a few days into May but I hope that you will take a moment at some point this month to use your voice and your platform to bring awareness to the 400,000 plus kids in the foster care system. There have been millions of kids over the years that have been affected by our flawed and struggling foster care system and we have an opportunity this month to try to do something to make a difference in the lives of those vulnerable kids. I’m so thankful for each and everyone of you that are reading this and are journeying along with me each Friday. I understand that many of you can’t adopt, but as I have said before, there is so much that you can do to be a part of making a difference in the lives of kids in foster care. Something as simple as cooking a meal for a foster care family or send them a note of encouragement, or plan an activity for kids in foster care. We can serve them, support them, and help care for them, even if we cannot adopt. Here is a young man that is worth supporting, serving and caring for.

Please allow me to introduce you to
Qwinshon from Georgia. He is 16 years old and is helpful and passionate. He enjoys animals, swimming, and drawing. In school, where he gets good grades, his favorite subject is English Language Arts. After he graduates from high school he plans on attending technical school and ultimately owning his own business – some new type of technology! That’s so awesome! Qwinshon is loving and likes taking care of the elderly, and helping people with things. He is proud of himself for being loving, caring and thankful.

Qwinshon said his greatest wish is to have the best family which would include simply spending time and seeing that they love him. Oh my heart. He needs a loving family who will give him the attention, support, encouragement, structure and nurturing environment to continue to thrive and achieve his goals. Can you be that family for Qwinshon? For more information, please contact Rebecca at [email protected]
Thank You! ❤️

Please share Jamarcus! Posted • Happy y’all. Have you ever stopped just for a minute and thought about the fact that adopting a child out of the foster care system is less about getting a child for your family but it is more about giving your family for a child. Read that again if you need to. Children belong in families. It’s a pure and simple fact. Look, not everyone is called to be a foster parent. Trust me…I get it. It’s a little chaotic at times and takes you out of your comfort zone. But you can offer your support and encouragement to those in the fight and these kids are worth fighting for. They are worth the hours and hours spent each week on searching and vetting and praying and writing posts and us annoying you guys to join us in trying to find families for them. Here is a young man that is worth giving your family too. He needs us. 

Please allow me to introduce you to Jamarcus. He is 14 years old and lives in Tennessee. He enjoys playing football, quarterback especially, and would like to continue to play when he grows up. He likes basketball as well! His friends would describe him as someone who will not let others down. One thing he would like people to know is that he cares for other people. That melts my heart. 

To Jamarcus family means cheering up your kids, putting a roof over their head and clothes on their back. Pretty pure and simple! Can you be that family for Jamarcus? Do you know anyone who could be? Please contact AmericasKidsBelong.org or DM us!

Thank You ❤️

Please share Aron! 🙏🏼❤️Posted • Sing this song with me… “Jesus loves the little children… all the children of the world…red and yellow, black and white they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.” Most of us sang that song growing up or sing it to our grandchildren now.  And these little children of the world…these foster children are precious in His sight and should be in ours as well. They deserve to be loved and feel safe. These little ones are collectively our responsibility! That means everyone, not just someone else, but me and you. We are responsible to nurture and provide for them. Let me introduce you to a young man that needs our support and advocacy.

Aron is 13 years old and lives in Alabama. He enjoys football and baseball. He loves swimming and hopes to go to Hawaii one day! He wants to live on a farm, be adventurous, and learn new things with a family. Aron has a nurturing heart and often wants to be a caregiver for others. That’s the epitome of kindness. 

For more information on Aron please contact [email protected]