Kelly, Dana and Leslie

Angels in Adoption 2005 - Maine

Selected by Representative Tom Allen

Dana and Leslie Kelly are unique and inspiring in many ways. They have been extraordinarily successful adoptive and foster parents for seven children, as well as wonderful parents of their two natural chldren - Stuart, 21, who once interned in my office and is now training to be an Army Ranger, and Afton, 22, who is now married and mother of a baby. Leslie also has directly helped other foster parents learn the skills needed to deal with the challenges that this relationship can bring. The circumstances that brought the Kellys to my attention were tragic. Last year, they traveled to Disneyworld with all of their children, which then numbered six. The trip was made at the request of Daniel, who was then 12 and suffering from terminal cancer. Dan had come to their home as a 5-month-old foster child. His sister Deanna, born 21 months after Dan, likewise came to their home as a foster child. Both siblings were subsequently adopted by the Kellys. Shortly after arriving in Florida, Dan's condition worsened markedly; after he stabilized somewhat, Dan and his mother Leslie were taken on a medivac flight back to Maine. Our office was contacted to help facilitate the unexpectedly early return by commercial airliner of the rest of the family. Fortunately, we were able to get the family reunited in Maine the following day, which enabled them all to be with Dan in his final hours, while he was still able to express his love and joy at being withw them. How the Kellys dealt with these events and the consequences of losing a beloved member of the family are emblematic of their strength and wisdom, qualities that make them so deserving of recognition as an Angel in Adoption.

While some families never recover from such a loss, the Kelly children are doing very well. Kaila, for example, how 17, will be a high school senior. She is mature, a fine athlete, and an excellent student, intent on pursuing a college education that focuses on forensics, photography, and archaeology. Less than a year after Dan's death, the Kellys rose to another challenge. In her work for Casey Family Services, Leslie had learned of three siblings, now ages 8, 10, and 11, who had been separated for about 3 years. Casey Family Services wanted to try to unite the children in one foster home. However, they had not been able to find a suitable placement until Leslie Kelly heard about them. Once again, she and Dana opened their home to children in need of love and guidance. And once again, the children have thrived. Leslie has been described as a woman of enormous warmth and common sense, qualities that she has put to great use in the home as well as in her work as a trainer of foster parents for Casey Family Services. Dana, according to Leslie, is the rock of the family, providing the unflappable strength every family needs. Together they have created a home where the children's individual needs are met and each is encouraged to reach their highest potential. They are described as patient, yet disciplined, creative and instinctively good at parenting. The children, nurtured in this environment, help each other as well. For example, Deanna, now 12, has been blessed by the close friendship and support of her 11-year-old foster sister. Kaila regularly helps the younger children with their homework. Dana and Leslie Kelly do what they do simply because they are such good people.