'They complete the love,' Jeannette mom says at adoption hearing to add 3 more to family

Trudy and Jennifer Parke of Jeannette had taken a break from fostering children after adopting four biological siblings in 2018.

But, when they found out three more biological siblings — children whom they knew — were in need of a home, they stepped up. On Thursday, the couple adopted Nevaeh, 15; Anthony, 13; and Makya, 11.

“They’re family. I couldn’t imagine our home without them,” Jennifer Parke testified during their adoption hearing at the Westmoreland County Courthouse. “They complete the love, the circle, the family.”

The Parkes were one of eight families adopting 14 children Thursday at the courthouse on what the county has come to call Adoption Day, typically held in November. Judge Justin Walsh said he could feel the love among the Parke children and their adoptive mothers during their hearing.

All nine gathered for a group hug and cheer — “Parke family on three” — before departing the courtroom.

The couple adopted Kyle, 11; Jazz, 9; Bethann, 8; and Jonathan, 6, in 2018 after fostering them for about a year and a half. Trudy Parke said, over eight years, they’ve been foster parents to 33 children.

The couple has known the trio of siblings for about three years. The kids often visited their home, as Trudy and Jennifer Parke knew their grandmother. When the children found themselves in what Trudy described as a bad situation in 2021, “Jen and I couldn’t let that happen.”

“Every child needs a good home, and, unfortunately, the way the world is going … there’s too many children in this world that are not being taken care of,” Trudy Parke said.

She has noticed a change in Nevaeh, Anthony and Makya since being in their foster home. They’ve gotten good grades and are well-mannered and helpful. They’ve learned to love their four adoptive siblings and become a family, Jennifer Parke said.

“Ironically, they get along fantastic,” she said.

Nevaeh and Anthony Parke testified that they wanted to be adopted by the Parkes. When asked about how everything is going at home, Nevaeh said, “perfect.”

“Awesome,” Anthony said.