By Amantha Garpiel

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SIDNEY — To help Sylvia Roop, foster parent recruiter with SAFY of Sidney, raise awareness of the importance of good foster parents, Odessa and Jessica Swartz joined Roop at a YPConnect event on Wednesday, April 26, at the Amos Memorial Public Library in Sidney to share their journey from fostering to adoption.

Odessa, 17, had been in foster care from the age of 6 and came to SAFY of Sidney, a therapeutic foster care agency, from Butler County and has been in Jessica’s home as a foster youth since she was 12 years old and was eventually officially adopted by Jessica after the two formed a bond. Odessa came to SAFY after the county foster care was unable to find her a suitable home that could help her meet her own therapeutic needs. According to Jessica, a youth identified at a therapeutic level can mean they are a child with more trauma, medical complexities and more.

Over her years in the foster care system, Odessa has experienced numerous different types of homes and foster parents, none of which she truly felt comfortable and confident in. She originally came to Jessica’s home for emergency respite care, an emergency relocation of a foster youth that can result in a stay of various times, and ended up staying. Jessica, who lives in Piqua, has been fostering through SAFY of Sidney for six years and currently has 10 children, including Odessa, at her home. Including her adoption of Odessa, Jessica has adopted four children from foster care.

While reuniting children with their biological parents is the goal of Roop and SAFY, that is not always the case, and was not for Odessa.

“I’ve never been in a home that I’ve ever trusted,” said Odessa. “The first time I walked through the door, it felt like a home. She (Jessica) was comforting me, she gave me my space, she gave me things that I need so that I wouldn’t have to ask for (them). She gave me a whole house tour, which I’ve never got that before. I loved that. Another big thing was, her giving me a hug and saying “good night, love you,” that was a big thing too.”

Odessa felt that she was safe and finally receiving the attention she needed and deserved.

“When she came to me, I didn’t have an “aha moment” of I have to adopt her. It was more like it felt right, she fit in,” said Jessica. “We joke around that we’re the house of misfit toys. We’re all so different, we all have our quirkiness. We don’t just fit into a specific box. As time went on and she told me more about her life and all of these moves, it just made sense because at that point I wasn’t willing to give up on her.”

“Everyone else had, as she said, threw her away,” said Jessica. “That’s why every time we had these huge outbursts, huge issues, she would pack her stuff and be ready to go.”

Jessica was always sure to remind Odessa she was not going anywhere, even now after being adopted, Odessa still fears that Jessica will abandon her when she does something wrong due to her experiences in previous homes throughout her life. Jessica always reminds her that Odessa is safe with her and “stuck with her.”

“I was testing her to see if she was like all the rest,” said Odessa on why she continued to act out despite being in a safe home.

Odessa is thriving in Jessica’s home, she is a sophomore in high school at Piqua High School and going to take summer courses, at a senior level, to help her work towards graduating early. She is also a lifeguard and hopes to attend cosmetology or another trade school.

Odessa and Jessica came to share their journey and how difficult fostering youth can be on the foster parents and the youth with the guests at YPConnect as Roop shared the success of the 2023 Duffel Bag Rally and other ways to help support SAFY and the foster youth in the community, besides fostering 10 children like Jessica, or any children.

For anyone interested in supporting SAFY foster youth and learning more about the process of becoming a foster parent, contact Roop at [email protected].