'Miracle' reunion leads to adoption for thankful Greensburg family, teen

Amanda Ferree reached forward and squeezed the girl’s shoulder as they walked, both dressed in plaid button-down shirts, into a Westmoreland County courtroom.

Her husband, Ian, wiped tears from his face on the witness stand as he recounted the fateful steps that brought the girl into their lives.

And Leesa Ferree, 16, was ecstatic to officially join the family. It was as if she has always belonged.

Even Judge James Silvis thought so — he signed off on the adoption before the hearing was over.

“What a remarkable story,” he said. “I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks this is straight out of a Hallmark movie.”

Years in the making

That story started four years ago at Word of Life Church in Hempfield.

Leesa was in foster care when she attended a youth group at the church led by Ian and Amanda Ferree, a 30-something Greensburg couple.

“We really felt a connection to her,” Ian said.

The couple prayed for her to find a loving home. Little did they know then, that home would be theirs.

They lost contact for a few years when Leesa changed foster homes and left the church. But a surprise Facebook message in mid-2018 unexpectedly brought her back into their lives.

Leesa Nova Ferree(left), dad Ian, mom Amanda, and sister Kylee, 12, laugh while petting a therapy dog after completing the adoption at the Westmoreland County Courthouse in Greensburg on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019. Photo by Dan Speicher

Leesa’s caseworkers were looking at the names of her relatives in a 2008 obituary for her grandmother. Amanda Ferree’s name stuck out and caseworkers contacted her. It turns out, she and Leesa are first cousins.

Amanda was awestruck. She remembered feeling that connection years ago at church — “Wow, that’s why.”

“It makes me happy,” Leesa said last week before her adoption hearing. “It’s like a miracle, to be honest.”

Part of the system

Leesa said she was placed in foster care at age 4. About four years later, she was adopted. At age 12, she found herself back in foster care after the adoption didn’t work out.

The Westmoreland County Children’s Bureau is in need of families willing to foster older youth. Of 106 older youth between the ages of 13 and 21 who are in placement through the bureau, half are in a non-family setting, such as a group home or independent living.

Another 149 children, ranging from newborns to age 12, are in the same situation. Nearly every one of them, 98%, live in either a foster home or with a relative in kinship care. The bureau is trying to turn around that stark difference.

“Every child deserves a lifelong family and support,” said bureau Director Shara Saveikis. “What we would want for our own children, we want for our foster children as well.”

The bureau oversees 151 licensed foster homes, 65 of which are considered traditional foster homes — meaning the child is not related to the foster parents. Only 16 of those homes are willing to take in a teenager, Saveikis said.

Some families may be hesitant to take an older child for reasons such as a lack of experience with teenagers or an unwillingness to usurp the birth order of younger biological children, said Jason Slonceski, bureau assistant director.

Older youth are more independent than young children, and they can have serious conversations with adults, he said. And, while undesirable behaviors may turn potential foster parents off, those attitudes can change with help from a positive role model, Saveikis said.

“If you put in the effort, I think you can talk with a child … to really make a lasting impression with older youth,” Slonceski said.

A new statewide curriculum is aimed at educating potential foster parents about raising older youth. The per diem rate for county foster children ages 16 and up is $50, the highest amount paid for any age range. Foster families interested in taking in an older youth will likely see a placement much sooner than a family who chooses a young child, Slonceski said.

Even for young adults age 18 to 21, having that connection with a foster family is important because it can last a lifetime.

“We’re always looking for permanency for our kids,” Saveikis said.

Leesa Nova Ferree, 16, lays on the couch while talking to her adopted family which includes dad Ian, sister Kylee, 12, and mom Amanda, at their home in Greensburg, on Monday, Nov. 25, 2019. Photo by Dan Speicher

Serendipity

The Ferrees initially weren’t looking to become a foster family.

After the Facebook message, Leesa and Amanda rode go-karts together in an awkward, but exciting first meeting. Amanda wasn’t close with that side of her family growing up. She never knew Leesa existed.

They moved slowly to make sure the budding bond was OK with everyone, including the Ferrees’ 12-year-old daughter, Kylee. Leesa went to church with them and sometimes spent the night in the extra bedroom the family just happened to have.

“I was really cautious on making the decision,” Amanda said.

After about six months, Leesa moved into kinship care in the Ferrees’ house.

“It was our daughter who said, ‘If we don’t open our home to her, I’ll no longer call myself a Christian,’” Ian said.

“It was really a blessing … to hear that from her,” Amanda said.

Their family became official Nov. 21 and they certainly looked the part. All four wore black T-shirts with white lettering: “Love makes a family. Loved. Chosen. Wanted.”

Kylee is thrilled to have an older sister, calling it a “forever sleepover with my best friend.”

“Just having a 16-year-old come out of nowhere, it’s kind of weird but I love it,” she said.

As the holidays approach, Leesa Nova Ferree, 16, relaxes on the couch, after being adopted just a week before, at her new home in Greensburg, on Monday, Nov. 25, 2019. Photo by Dan Speicher

The family on Monday decorated their home — including two trees — for Christmas amid laughter and music. Red and white stockings were hung and four puzzle pieces bearing their names adorn one of the trees. They are hosting family there for Thanksgiving.

When she looks back at her life, Amanda said everything has “lined up perfectly” to be the right home at the right time for Leesa.

“I think it’s a miracle, just the whole situation,” she said. “It’s amazing how God has played that all out for us, the timing and everything.”

Leesa’s age wasn’t something the Ferrees considered during the foster and adoption process. They love teenagers.

“It’s a lot of work to take on a teenager. It’s a lot of work to take on a young child, as well,” Amanda said. “We don’t mind investing in our children and helping them through that. They just want to be loved and known and acknowledged.”

Ian said he thinks being the big sister gives Leesa responsibility.

“She gets to be a role model for (Kylee),” he said. “I think it’s a positive thing. You have to get to know the teenagers. All they need is love.”

Caseworker supervisor Michelle Bianco watched Leesa’s case for years.

“It’s so nice to see her so happy and finally feeling loved and feeling as a part of a family because she’s been through so much,” Bianco said. “We just really feel that this is the right place for her.”

Leesa waited patiently for the right family, and she pointed to her faith in God that led her to the Ferree home.

“No matter how old you are,” she said, “things always happen for you because there’s going to be someone that’s going to love you and care for you.”

A new Christmas ornament puzzle of her whole family adorns the tree of Leesa Nova Ferree, 16, on Monday, Nov. 25, 2019. Photo by Dan Speicher