"There was constant hugging and playing. It didn’t quite seem real to them, they were in awe of each other.”

 

At the start of the pandemic in 2020 and while simultaneously beginning a non-profit organization in Bloomington, Hilary Pacha, a single mother of one, made a life-changing decision. She chose to open her heart to a child in need of a temporary home by becoming a foster parent through The Baby Fold. Little did she know, the decision would set her on an unexpected journey toward building a loving family of six.

“I had it on my heart to foster for a very long time,” Pacha shares, “I looked up the requirements online, and it seemed so daunting.” After contacting The Baby Fold to inquire about the process, she moved forward with the licensing process. “Brittany, my licensing worker at The Baby Fold, acknowledged my feelings, and said ‘I’m here to help’ and she meant it.” Pacha continues, “I didn’t feel overwhelmed at all. The Baby Fold worked to make everything so convenient and the process as smooth as it could possibly be.”

Clete Winkelmann, President and CEO of The Baby Fold, notes the urgent need for local foster families, “The need for loving, temporary homes for children is great. We typically serve around 110 foster children each year, but currently there are 167 – more than ever before.”

Pacha fostered her first child for a year and a half before he was reunited with his biological family. Months later, her caseworker called about twin boys, age two, in need of a home after an unsuccessful foster placement. “As soon as I laid eyes on them, I knew in my heart I was supposed to have them,” Pacha shares. “Walter’s big brown eyes and William’s charming little smile…. I just fell in love with them.” By August of 2022, Pacha was fostering the twins, doubling the size of her household.

Pacha’s biological son Elijah, age 13, enjoyed the fostering journey. “He loved the entire experience. He’s always craved having a sibling,” Pacha explains.

The Pacha home would soon grow again. Walter and William also had other siblings who were living in a different foster home. “Haven (5) and Mavric (7) were together in a foster home but were about to be split up again, and I just couldn’t let it happen,” Pacha shares. “I told my caseworker that I’d take both of them so they could stay together. I didn’t want them to be split up again.”

Pacha opened her home once more, reuniting the four siblings under her roof. “They were all incredibly excited to see each other. For about 2-3 days, there was constant hugging and playing. It didn’t quite seem real to them, they were in awe of each other.”

Tony Wilson, Director of Intervention Services at The Baby Fold, notes that while that the goal of foster care is to provide temporary, safe, and loving homes for children until they can be reunited with their biological parent(s), foster families sometimes adopt their foster children. "The transition from fostering to adoption underscores the complexity of foster care dynamics," Wilson shares. "While fostering aims to provide temporary stability, the deep bonds formed between foster parents and children sometimes lead families to adoption."

Hilary Pacha was one of those families. She wanted to adopt all four siblings and give them a permanent home after their years of instability and trauma.

On April 25, 2024, in front of family and friends at the McLean County Courthouse, Pacha officially adopted all four siblings. She recalls, “When it came time to affirm that I was indeed asking the court to make the children mine, I became so overwhelmed with emotion that I had to take a moment before I could even speak the words ‘Yes, I am.’” The Judge also became emotional. Having seen the siblings’ cases come across his desk, he could not have imagined such a positive outcome.

Pacha’s biological son Elijah wholeheartedly embraced the idea of becoming a big brother. She shares, “He was incredibly excited about the adoption and has enjoyed taking on the role of big brother and protector. I’m so proud of him.”

Today the children are thriving. Their teachers report remarkable progress in both their academic and social skills, overcoming previous delays and behavioral difficulties.

The Pacha family now receives therapeutic services through The Baby Fold’s Adoption Support and Preservation program. The single mother of five says, “It’d be easy for an agency to say ‘You’re on your own’ after an adoption is finalized, but that doesn’t happen with The Baby Fold. Their post-adoption work in the community is impressive with respite, camps, and therapies. They think of everything to help children and families bond and heal from past traumas.”

Pacha reflects on her family’s transformation in just a few short years, “I honestly cannot imagine my life without them. It was meant to be.”

 

 

 

Interested in fostering or adopting through The Baby Fold? Learn more about becoming a foster parent today.