About

Hi, I’m Kristen Adkins.  I married to my high school sweetheart, and we did foster care for ten years.  My husband and I adopted five children before we felt we were finished with fostering. We live in the Appalachian Mountains with six girls ranging from adults down to seven years old.

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My husband and I had two girls and we wanted a boy. Plain and simple. So, we signed up for foster care classes. We took those classes and almost a year later they dropped off one of the most beautiful girls and the most handsome boy you have ever seen. These were smart and beautiful children. I quit teaching and reared my four children. We moved twice and then the desire to impact more children again. Not to adopt, but just to foster – help some of our friends who did foster care who needed a break – because it is a tough job to take care of kids 24/7 who do not necessarily belong to you.

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These children began to come to our house, and they never stopped. We ended up with over 24 kids in ten years. And, yes, we adopted again. This time three little girls – one of whom we picked up from the hospital as a newborn.

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After we adopted our fifth child, we were considered full by the state and could no longer foster.  I wanted to continue helping these vulnerable children and their parents.  I felt I had skills that could benefit others.  Being a teacher, it is my nature to educate and plan.  I had an idea, a dream, to collaborate with other foster moms and dads to assist them with their journey, the system issues, and create impact on these little lives (yes, even the teenagers).

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While assisting in my community, I also want to impact children’s lives beyond my four walls. Beyond my church.  Beyond my community.  That is how the dream of coaching foster parents came to be.  I want to impress value on children. I want to encourage others to impress value on children.

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Impressing Minds is about creating value in the mind of a child through the foster parents. Imagine the mind of a child being made of play-doh, and you are about to make a permanent impression. What type of impression will you make?  I will encourage you to make a soft, lasting, affirmative impression in their mind by giving tools to get started fostering, accomplishing a great foster care home, and serving the children in your care.  I offer support to you and others fostering. An important element of Impressing Minds is the support that others have given to those in need.