The power of kinship care changes life for a teenager and her newfound family
The Facebook post wasn’t supposed to change their lives. It was just another link shared from someone they knew – a listing from the Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange, meant to spread awareness of kids in need of families.
But when Madison Bohrmann’s sister glanced at the post, she stopped in her tracks. She had to show it to her family.
“That’s Alyssa,” she told Madison. 
Alyssa, their cousin. A teenager in foster care. And no one in the family had known.
What followed was a whirlwind for Madison and her husband, Trent. Calls were made. Family connections were pieced together. And soon, Madison and Trent learned that Alyssa had been in the foster system for over a year, moving between multiple placements, from Detroit to Arizona to Kalamazoo, before landing in Grand Rapids — just eight minutes from their home.
The couple had talked about becoming foster parents, but it was always something they thought about in the abstract, something they might do “down the road.” But suddenly, the road had led them straight to Alyssa.
“We were always planning to be foster parents,” Trent said. “But when we saw a family member in need, it was like: This is it. We need to do this.”
REBUILDING FAMILY: ONE STEP AT A TIME
Alyssa hadn’t seen most of her extended family since she was a young girl. Her mother had distanced herself from relatives, a common occurrence in families where removal eventually happens, and when Alyssa entered foster care, much of the family simply hadn’t known. When caseworkers looked for relatives, they were told there weren’t any.
But there were.
Trent and Madison had to help map out the family tree for caseworkers and prove that Alyssa had a whole network of people who wanted her, people who were ready and waiting.
When she finally moved in with them, Trent and Madison braced for the transition. Bringing a teenager into their home would be a completely new experience for a couple young in their marriage, and young in life.
“Maybe, that was a benefit, we could easily remember what it felt like to be that age,” Trent said.
What they didn’t know is how it would be to care for and guide a teenager who had experienced so much loss and instability. They anticipated it would come with challenges. And it did. But they found something big and beautiful in it, too.
“We always say Alyssa was our missing piece,” Trent said. “It wasn’t just us giving her a family — she completed ours, too.”
THE DIFFERENCE KINSHIP MAKES
Foster care is meant to provide stability while families work toward the goal of reunification. Community foster parents provide crucial care in many of these cases. But when it is possible for kids to stay with relatives — called kinship care — it can often provide increased stability and a sense of belonging.
For Alyssa, knowing she had family who cared about her made all the difference.
“She didn’t even know how much family she had,” Trent said. “So when she found out, it was this big ‘Oh my gosh’ moment – like, I have people. I have a support system.”
That network has been life-changing. When Alyssa needs a break, she can stay with her grandparents. When she competes in cheerleading, a dozen family members show up to cheer her on. The support isn’t just from Trent and Madison; it’s woven through an entire extended family, giving her a foundation as she approaches the crucial years when she will transition into adulthood.
“You can feel the difference,” Trent said. “You have this built-in village. That’s what makes it so special.”
A CELEBRATION, AND A FUTURE TOGETHER
Soon, Trent and Madison will finalize Alyssa’s adoption in court. It will mark the official end of her time in foster care and the start of the rest of their lives as a family.
And to celebrate? A roller-skating party. Alyssa’s choice.
“She got rollerblades for Christmas, and we go skating together all the time,” Trent said, laughing. “So that’s how she wants to celebrate. And we love that for her.”
For Alyssa, this is more than an adoption. It’s stability. It’s belonging. It’s knowing that she’s not alone.
“She’s going to be okay,” Trent said. “She’s kind, she’s smart, she’s resilient. And she’s ours.”
"Someone in my family still loves me?"
A little boy couldn’t believe it when he found out his aunt would be adopting him. His newfound sense of belonging changed his life.
A group of siblings, all teenagers (one of the hardest age groups to place in foster care), were able to stay among multiple relatives while their parents addressed issues. The connection provided stability and kept the family close, until all were able to be reunified safely with their parent.
This is kinship care — a crucial part of how DABSJ is able to best serve children in need with your support.
DABSJ’S COMMITMENT TO KINSHIP CARE
Kinship care involves relatives or close family friends providing a safe and nurturing home for children when their parents are unable to do so. Recognizing what a profound impact it has, we introduced two specialized positions at DABSJ, aimed at supporting and increasing kinship placements:
- Family Finder: Identifies and connects with potential caregivers within a child’s extended family or close community through databases, legal records, social media, and more.
- Relative Engagement Specialist: Once a kinship placement is established, the specialist provides ongoing assistance to caregivers. This includes offering training, counseling, and connecting families with community resources as they navigate the complexities of the child welfare system.
80 relatives – the target number of family members to be
found for each child in foster care
40% the amount of Kent County children in foster care living
with relatives (up from 28% in 2022)
“This work shows kids they’re not alone. They have family, they have people, and they belong. For a child to know there are people in this world who care about them — that’s huge.”
Ruth Jones, Foster Care Licensing Supervisor
