Dominique and Kevin Gill continue to change the lives of children in foster care—children like Andrew who was adopted by the Gills in 2020.

“We are so happy we adopted Andrew, and he is doing so well,” said Dominique Gill, foster and adoptive mother. “He thanks us often for taking him in and giving him a family.”

Andrew came into foster care at an early age when his parents’ rights were terminated. He experienced severe neglect which caused a lot of trauma, and he struggled while in foster care for many years until coming to Kevin and Dominique’s home at the age of 10.

Andrew would act out at first, but the family was patient with him and supported him as best as they could. This included Joc, the Gill’s biological son, who asked Andrew if he wanted to play video games and Andrew said yes. From then on, the boys have been best friends.

“Andrew and Joc’s relationship continues to grow and I love seeing their bond as brothers get deeper and stronger,” Dominque said.

Their bond is not the only thing growing; the family is growing as well! The Gill’s welcomed a new baby boy to the family, Kevin Jr. in 2021. Now with four children in the home, Dominique and Kevin still find the energy and the love to continue to foster.

“We currently have three boys in foster care at our home and I love them, and they love us,” Dominique said. “We have a very busy home!”

Busy indeed! Dominique and her mother, Linda, also a foster parent with Youth Villages, opened a daycare center called Unique Kids in September of 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, but reached capacity but the end of October of 2020.

“It was not as bad as we thought it would be to open Unique Kids during the pandemic because of the growing need for childcare,” Dominique said. “We called it Unique Kids simply because we believe all kids are unique!”

Dominique and Kevin also surprised the kids with a trip to Disney World this year. This meant a lot of firsts for Andrew—the first time on a plane, the first time at the beach and the first time at Disney World.

“That was a great trip, and the family had so much fun together,” Dominique said.

The family continues to grow stronger, and their strength provides the love, support and stability needed to make a difference in the lives of children, including those in foster care and in need of a caring home.

Youth Villages serves 524 children in foster care across the state, and 181 of these children are available for adoption. If you are considering fostering or adopting, find out more about fostering through Youth Villages. Youth Villages provides the required DCS-approved training, certification, counseling services, and ongoing support to foster families.

For more information about how you can change the life of a child, contact Youth Villages at 1-888-MY-YV-KID or visit www.youthvillages.org/foster