Our Story

A week before Christmas 2024, Wake County Commissioner Vickie Adamson was searching for a way to give back while carrying the grief of recently losing her husband. Through a contact at DHHS, she learned that some foster children were waiting for placement and staying in a county office building because there were not enough foster homes. She wanted to give them a real Christmas.

She sent a text message to her friend Kade Kimber and asked if he could help wrap gifts using his corporate gifting company's supplies and space.

It was an easy "yes" for Kade, but it was also during that conversation that he learned Vickie was funding this idea entirely on her own. So, he started making some phone calls so that no one person had to shoulder the expense.

Neighbors stepped in, and local businesses joined. Within three days, more than 150 gifts had been purchased and wrapped, and over $8,000 had been donated. The social workers had started with modest wish lists and did not expect everything to be fulfilled. As support grew, those lists were not only fulfilled but expanded to include toys and items the children truly wanted.

Morning Rolls, a Raleigh bakery, went beyond a donation. The owners woke up in the middle of the night to bake fresh cinnamon rolls, then came on-site to serve a full breakfast for the children and social workers. Southern Cookie Company sent cookies with "You Are Loved" written on each one, placed at every child's seat. Lavish, a local design firm, provided a van that became Santa's sleigh to carry the gifts. More than 100 handmade cards arrived from across the country. One neighbor set up a card-making station at home, where her two children made over 50 cards themselves.

That Christmas morning stayed with both Vickie and Kade. They watched children and their social workers begin to feel seen and remembered.

They knew it could not be a one-time effort, and the need did not end with Christmas.

Like many communities across the country, Wake County faces a shortage of foster families and therapeutic group homes, especially for children with more complex needs. Because of this, some children in the county's immediate care are housed inside a working government building. Offices become bedrooms, and break rooms become kitchens. As many as 16 children share one bathroom with a bathtub and shower.

When children first enter care, social workers and staff do what they can to meet immediate needs, often using their own money to provide essentials for those who arrive with very little. While government programs cover certain needs, they do not provide many of the everyday experiences children should have.

Some have never had a birthday cake, gone to a ballgame, or visited a museum. Many have not had Easter baskets or Christmas stockings, or even luggage of their own to carry their belongings. Instead, they carry their things in trash bags provided by social workers.

The Fostering Joy Foundation exists to make sure no child in Wake County's care feels forgotten. Not on Christmas, not on their birthday, and not on the everyday moments in between.

We work closely with county social workers to understand needs and respond quickly. We provide essentials when children first arrive, create opportunities to celebrate throughout the year, and remind them that they matter.

We are proud to serve Wake County's unplaced foster children, and we are committed to doing more.

The Fostering Joy Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit.