Lora and Matt Bowden are a Washington couple with a passion to care for children in need. They have 10 children, a combination of biological and adopted children ranging in age from 35 to six years old, including siblings Angel (12) and Zaayne (6) who were adopted in 2020 through a collaboration between Children’s Home Society of Washington’s Wendy’s Wonderful Kids (WWK) program and DCYF, as part of the Washington state 10-year Permanency Initiative.

Matt, a captain at South County Fire in Snohomish County, who was adopted as an infant, and Lora, a nurse, became certified to foster children in 2014. Their journey as foster parents began with their son Troy – a sweet, medically fragile young boy. While their original intention had not been to care for children with special needs, their faith, and Troy’s radiant spirt showed them what was possible and opened their hearts to further their altruism. As they navigated Troy’s complex medical demands, their desire to help other children grew. They adopted twin boys from Ethiopia, a daughter with special needs from Colombia and finalized their adoption of Troy prior to meeting Angel and Zaayne. Tragically, Troy passed away in fall 2019. While devastated by the loss, the immeasurable strength and hope Troy instilled in them allowed Matt and Lora to continue helping other children in need of a loving, permanent home.

The timing of Troy’s passing and their introduction to Angel and Zaayne was serendipitous. Lora and Matt learned of Angel and Zaayne’s need for a permanent home through their local community group and met for the first time in Dec. 2019, shortly after Troy’s death. Following their entrance into foster care in Nov. 2017, the children’s grandmother and aunt were serving as temporary solutions while permanent placement was identified. The Bowden’s positive relationship with Angel and Zaayne blossomed quickly. Matt and Lora spent increasing amounts of time with both Angel and Zaayne, helping their grandmother when she needed a break from child care and to forge a relationship between the siblings.

 Angel and Zaayne’s care team – consisting of a Wendy’s Wonderful Kid’s Specialized Adoption Recruiter, DCYF caseworker and several other parties committed to finding the best home for the children – conducted a selection process between four different families to ensure an unbiased fit for the siblings.

“It was amazing to see the investment Lora and Matt had in Angel and Zaayne from the start, and the positive impact they had on them – it was like they were already family,” said Mariah Fore, WWK specialized adoption recruiter. “Despite the whole process being over video and phone calls due to the pandemic, it was a pleasure to be able to make a difference in their lives.”

After several months, the Bowdens learned they were selected as the adoptive family for Angel and Zaayne. Leading up to the finalization, Mariah and the rest of their care team work closely with them through the WWK adoption preparation process to ensure they felt supported. This included monthly video calls to help navigate the mental and emotional transition that accompanied the physical move to their new home, along with dialogue around staying connected with important biological family members as part of their network.

“We were very anxious to find out whether we’d been chosen,” Matt recounted. “On the day we got the great news, we were at the beach, looking for distractions while we waited. I was walking with Angel when we got the call; Lora gave a big thumbs up from a distance on the phone. I turned to Angel – who had already taken to calling Lora mom – and said, ‘look at mom! They said yes!’ It was an emotional and joyous day we will never forget.”

From that day forward, Angel and Zaayne lived with the Bowden family.

“It was a long process that ultimately turned out the way we’d hoped,” remarked Lora. “We formed a strong bond with Angel and Zaayne over several months and cared for them as if they were already ours.”   

Angel and Zaayne’s adoptions were finalized on December 23, 2020 over Zoom. While they could not be in-person due to COVID-19, friends, teachers, and their grandmother showed support virtually during the ceremony. As the judge signed the papers, Angel burst into tears of joy, exclaiming, ‘I finally found my permanent family!’ The Bowdens celebrated in their home to commemorate the milestone.

 Children’s Home Society of Washington (CHSW) was chosen to be one of the original pilot organizations for WWK in 2004, starting with only two specialized adoption recruiters. In 2016, on the strength of CHSW’s program, Washington state was selected by Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption (DTFA) as one of the first five states to participate in the national expansion of WWK. This expansion – part of a 10-year permanency initiative in partnership with CHSW, DTFA and the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) – allowed the program to fully scale in Washington, equipped with enough specialized adoption recruiters to serve the target demographic of teenagers, sibling groups and children with special needs.

The Washington state Permanency Initiative launched in fall 2017 with the support of Gov. Jay Inslee. Since the launch, CHSW has served more than 327 children, matched 164 children pending adoptions, and finalized over 54 adoptions. Since the beginning of the partnership in 2004, CHSW has finalized nearly 300 adoptions.

Kristen Conte is the marketing & communications director for Children’s Home Society of Washington.