Grace for the Kids: One couple’s adoption journey through kinship care

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) - When Angie Mojica Barnes and her husband, Levi, answered a call from a social worker two years ago, they had no idea it would completely rewrite their future.

The worker asked if they could take in Angie’s cousin, Camdam. The girl’s life had been upended after her biological mother passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic, and her biological father, who has a cognitive delay, struggled to keep up with her care.

Camdam was missing a lot of school and doctor’s appointments, which caught the attention of county social workers. Angie said Camdam’s biological father wasn’t abusive, but he was neglectful, and she and her husband felt called to help.

“We don’t have natural children of our own,” Angie said. “It was more out of a desire to be there for her at such a vulnerable young age.”

What began as a temporary placement quickly felt permanent. In July, the adoption was finalized, and Camdam officially has a new home and new last name.

“I’m her mom now,” Angie said. “She calls me her mom.”

While Camdam’s legal status has changed, her connection to her biological father remains strong. The Barnes coordinate weekly visits, phone calls and holiday celebrations.

“Cam is amazing and we’re blessed,” Levi said. “It’s been a life-changing thing for us. It’s changed the whole dynamic, in the best way.”

Placing children with relatives, neighbors, teachers or trusted adults instead of traditional foster care is known as “kinship care”. The practice is prioritized by Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina.

“We know that kids do better in kinship care,” Rachel Pritchard, a kinship care social worker from Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina, said. “People that already know them, love them, have some sort of relationship already. They just thrive.”

For the Barnes family, welcoming Camdam didn’t just change their household dynamic; it also inspired them to reach higher. After working at Karl’s Auto Repair shop for years, Levi finally took a leap and bought the business.

“Having her as a daughter and knowing we’re going to adopt her, I just wanted more for her,” Levi said. “I felt like that really just made it—I had no way of chickening out at that point.”

For more information about volunteering, fostering or adoption through Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina, visit boysandgirlshomes.org.