Photo courtesy of DaShoan Old
Florida couple, DaShoan and Sofia Olds had already decided that they “wanted to be a blessing and adopt a child.” However, one child turned into seven when the couple saw a local news story on Thanksgiving Day about a group of seven siblings who separated into four different foster homes.
“It was a done deal from the day we saw the story,” said Sofia, whose been married to DaShoan for 13 years; the couple hasn’t had any children of their own. “Before we even met them, it was a done deal. When I saw that picture, it was a done deal for me, honestly. We looked at each other and said, we’ve got to do this. It’s time. There’s no maybe, we have to do this.”
The oldest of the seven siblings, 12-year-old Necia, never thought the day would come when she would be able to live with all of her siblings under one roof.
Photo courtesy of Dashoan Old
“We thought we would never be adopted, but I thought this was a really good blessing for us,” Necia told WECP-TV.
On June 2, Necia and her siblings, Eric, Erica, Zavian, Dava, Keyon, and Reggie, moved into their new home with the Olds. This also marked the beginning of the Olds’ required 90-day adoption placement period. DaShoan, a high school math teacher and coach, and his wife, Sofia, a social worker, expect the adoption to be finalized in September. In the meantime, the proud new parents have already made some family goals.
Photo courtesy of Dashoan Old
“We’re going to build their faith up, we’re going to build them educationally,” said DaShoan. “We’re going to get them active in a sport or an activity, or something extracurricular. And we’re going to love each other. So, we’re going to do all of it.”
Congratulations to the Olds! Your compassion and love for children is an inspiration to us all.