When CASA volunteer advocate Doug met Marie, she was living with her grandparents. Marie’s mother had died due to substance misuse, and her father’s parental rights were ultimately terminated.

At the end of road where Marie lived was mowed field with a big boulder in the middle. “Marie has a fascination with wolves, and we would often play out imaginary stories about wolves,” says Doug. “I quickly learned that a septuagenarian doesn’t have as much energy as an 8-year-old.”

The grandparents wanted to adopt Marie, and she wanted to be adopted by them. Unfortunately, relates Doug, after much work with the grandparents, both he and the Division of Children, Youth and Family (DCYF) still had significant concerns about Marie’s safety if she remained with her grandparents. The decision was made to move Marie to a bridge foster home.

On the day she was moved to her new home, a day Doug knew would be difficult for Marie, he met with a worker from DCYF. “She said to me, ‘I bet you can think of a lot of other things you’d rather be doing right now,’” recalls Doug. “I said, “but it not me, then who?’”

It was hard, but Doug was there for Marie, who was successfully moved to a wonderful foster home. That was a Friday. On Monday, Doug was waiting for Marie as she returned to her new home.

“I was parked outside, and she didn’t recognize my car right away, but when she saw me, she shouted “it’s DOUG!’ and nearly knocked me over with her hug.”

Marie still wanted a relationship with her grandparents, and shortly after Marie was removed from his home, the grandfather reached out to Doug to check on Marie. This led, says Doug, to a series of meetings over coffee.

The first attempt at finding a forever home failed, as the family wasn’t open to maintaining contact with Marie’s grandparents, something Doug was adamant should happen. He knew both Marie and her grandparents wanted to maintain a connection.

Marie returned to her first foster home, and told her foster mother that “Everyone wants to adopt babies, not 9-year-olds.”

But it just so happened that the very day Marie expressed losing hope, DCYF let the foster mother know that they’d found a new pre-adoptive home. Happily, the second attempt was successful, and a little over two years since Doug and Marie’s journey together began, Doug was in court to witness Marie’s joyful adoption.