The Kilgores came to adopt. They stayed to foster.

James and Heather Kilgore have been foster parents with Wolverine Human Services since July 2016. Their initial goal was to adopt. They remained open to becoming foster care providers, and that openness changed everything.

Since then, the Kilgore family has successfully fostered four children and finalized their first adoption. In 2020 Wolverine nominated them for the Creating Hope Award, which recognizes foster families who go far beyond what is asked.

Families like the Kilgores are why we tell prospective adoptive parents to consider a foster license first. Most children return to their birth families. When they cannot, the foster family is usually the first family asked to adopt.