10/08/2026
We are celebrating with the Brandmeyer family as Benny has found his forever family with Leo and Stacy Brandmeyer!
Thank you, FBC, for being part of Benny’s journey. God has used our church family in so many ways to love and support Benny and the Brandmeyers—from babysitting and serving in childcare to providing meals, encouragement, prayers, and more.
We’re especially thankful for FBC members Jeff Hall, Office of Chief Counsel, and Melissa Van Scyoc, Benny’s Connected Families caseworker, who were part of his foster care and adoption case.
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” — 1 John 3:1
What happens when a foster care case moves toward adoption?
It takes a team.
When the goal of a foster care case changes to adoption, there is still a great deal of work to be done before a child can officially join their adoptive family.
Connected Families works alongside DCFS throughout that process, helping foster families navigate next steps, providing support, completing needed legwork, and helping move the process forward wherever we can.
For Benny, that team included his foster family, Connected Families, DCFS Adoption Specialist Larry Kelley, the Office of Chief Counsel, and a church community that surrounded him with prayer and support.
Each person played a different role, but they shared one goal: helping a child move toward a safe, stable future.
This is what partnership can look like in foster care. And for Benny, that partnership helped him reach permanency through adoption.
