"I saw them in the paper," explains Kimberly, "took the paper home - showed it to Charles and the kids and we all decided we had to help."

The Crews Family:

Parents: Kimberly and Charles
Adopted Children: Lauren, Empress, and Justin

Adoption wasn't even a consideration for Kimberly and Charles Crew. That is, until Kimberly met Lauren and Empress through the church choir she was directing. Both youngsters, 13 at the time, were in foster care and all it took was a little time around the Crews' children for everyone to become friends. Shortly after that, an article on adoption appeared in the Tallahassee Democrat featuring the two sisters.

"I saw them in the paper," explains Kimberly, "took the paper home - showed it to Charles and the kids and we all decided we had to help."

According to the family, Lauren moved right in and had no problem adjusting to her new environment, while Empress struggled a bit. Kimberly believes this stems from her having been slightly older and having to serve as a mother figure while the two went through foster care.

Barely a month before the girls' adoption was finalized, the family discovered their brother had also been placed in foster care - a brother they had not seen in seven years. A year later, Justin joined the ranks of the Crews family. In relatively short order, the Crews family had almost doubled; two adults and eight children, ranging in age from 11 to 23.

While most of the school-age children are doing well in school, Kimberly home schools some of the younger ones, working to get them caught up so they can be mainstreamed. "There are a lot of little bumps along the way," Kimberly observes, "but that's to be expected with any family and especially with teenagers."

Not surprisingly, each child has different needs and that means a full-time job focusing on dealing with each of them as they work to find themselves. The path is smoothed, somewhat, by the ministerial role Charles and Kimberly play in their church. Under their direction, Christopher (22) plays the piano, Justin (16) is learning the guitar and the girls dance and sing along.

Next time you pass through Gretna, listen for a joyful noise... chances are it's coming from the Crews household.

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