More than 360 children have found permanent homes through the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.
During National Adoption Month, one Arizona mother has given three kids a new home and is calling on others to give young people a new start.
In addition to teaching school in the Phoenix area full time, Jessica Frink has adopted three kids from foster care, and said she wasn't afraid to get attached to the kids she was fostering before she adopted them.
"But you have to get attached to be able to give them success," said Frink. "Being able to step out of your comfort zone and being able to give them the love and support where they have that permanency adoption and that final family, that forever family, that they're going to have, is something that these kids need."
More than 100,000 children are waiting to be adopted from foster care nationally. The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption has a presence in all states, including Arizona, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico.
Frink said while adoption makes a permanent difference in the kids, it is also life-changing for the parents, though it is challenging.
"And it's not easy," said Frink. "There are times where I have to reach out for my support system and ask for help because I'm struggling and I don't know where to go or what to say or how to do things. And so, that is when I reach out to my support system and go, 'Hey, what do you do?'"
There are at least 1,500 children awaiting adoption in Arizona, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.