Jasmine’s Story
Jasmine’s story started when she was a little one year-old girl. She and her five siblings came into care due to her mother’s mental health and substance abuse issues and her dad’s mental health issues and dangerous behaviors. For the first several years of her life, Jasmine was placed on and off with several of her siblings in different foster homes. Her younger sisters were eventually adopted; however, due to their high needs and Jasmine’s needs at the time, the family could not adopt Jasmine with her sisters.
Jasmine came to the attention of CASA of Jackson County when her dad came back in the picture after 8 years and was assessed as a safety risk to her. She was brought back into court and the Judge requested a CASA. Working with our CASA Reconnecting Families program, many DHS Case Workers, and others who cared about Jasmine, the family who had adopted Jasmine’s sisters was located. The first things the couple asked when they reconnected was who had adopted Jasmine. When informed that Jasmine was in permanent foster care, the couple stated that they still wanted to adopt her if possible.
Many people were working together to get Jasmine the forever family that she deserved. The CASA and Jasmine would take walks through town to get ice cream, and the CASA noted that Jasmine was a normal 9 year-old, was incredibly articulate, loved to sing, and loved Disney princesses. She was a delightful child who wanted so very much to be loved, to be “normal,” and to have a family – what every child deserves. A meeting was arranged with the family and Jasmine to see if this could work. The first time Jasmine saw her sisters after 5 years, she happily yelled, “I have sisters!”
The team worked to make sure that Jasmine was with her new family as quickly as possible and the Judge, who made the final decision, agreed. As Jasmine was driving out of town with her new family, her first question was “can I call you mom and dad?” The answer was a resounding YES!
Today, Jasmine is off of all her medication, is going to school, is living with her sisters and her new mom and dad, is a pitcher on her family’s softball team, went on a family trip to Disneyland to meet her favorite Disney Princess Jasmine, and – for the first time ever – read a whole book by herself.
Jasmine finally got what she deserved, and what every child deserves, a family who loves her and hope for the future.