Northwest Florida adoption story goes viral

Author: The Associated Press
Published:
PHOTO CREDIT: WINK NEWS

FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. (AP) – Hundreds of people from around the country have inquired about adopting four siblings ranging in age from 1 to 10 after their profile ran in a northwest Florida newspaper.

The Northwest Florida Daily News on Thursday ran a photo of siblings Micah, Dean, Dawn and Olivia and told their story about seeking a loving home.

Just a day later, hundreds of people had contacted the Florida Panhandle adoption coordinator placing the children.

Peggy Custred says she is confident she will find a local family who can care for them.

The adoption recruitment coordinator at FamiliesFirst Network spent most of Friday morning trying to return more than 80 voicemail and 100 email messages.

Others tried to call, but the voicemail box for the number listed in the story was full.

“That doesn’t even include the 10 pages of names of people who have contacted our secretaries,” Custred said. “It’s just incredible. I’ve never, ever seen anything like this. The phones are continuing to ring.”

The article never directly mentions the reason the children were left without their parents but suggests it was drug addiction since the 1-year-old was born drug-addicted last June.

The newspaper reports the story had 4.5 million page views and reached 3 million readers via social media.

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