Foster Care

To Whom It May Concern,
At this time we are requesting to foster a child, and special needs are not an issue. This is a very big decision for both me, Nicholas Feldman, and my partner, Vanessa Castro. We have always wanted to have children while leading our successful lives.
Vanessa and I feel that now would be the perfect time for us to make the choice to foster a child. Vanessa is currently thirty seven years old and I am currently thirty five years old. We have been together for eight years, and the only reason we are not married is due to our own disabilities, which the government restricts us from marriage with income penalties.
Vanessa and I both have majors from UC Berkeley, and minors in education. UC Berkeley is the first place that we met and developed our own relationship. Vanessa and I were both founded on the principles of strong family ethics, morals, and to try and live the American dream. We know how many children from our places of origin in the United States are suffering without having a solid family unit. Vanessa and I have not only gotten our higher education, but we have succeeded at having a future, and living independently. We have both worked extensively with kids. Vanessa and I have both taught independent living skills, and Vanessa has worked in a classroom of children with special needs. Currently in my line of business, I work with over nine children who have Developmental Disabilities. There is nothing more in the world we would like right now than to be able to support and help a young person succeed who would otherwise fall through the cracks of the bureaucracy. We are very responsible and respectable members of the Berkeley community. There is nothing we can’t handle. A good example of this is my Cerebral Palsy, and Vanessa’s Cerebral Palsy. While Vanessa has more mobility than I do, she has a speech impairment that takes a while to get used to. Oftentimes, Vanessa will help me out with physical tasks that are difficult for me, and I will help voice what she is trying to say for those who might not understand right away what she is trying to say. I think ever since college Vanessa and I have had the Berkeley disability attitude of there is nothing we can’t do, and there is nothing that will stop us. We both manage our own care staff to help us with our own needs. We have both mentioned to our staff that we are considering foster care. They always smile and say “That’s all that’s missing in your lives!” We have a zest for life and an understanding of reality. We both understand that this is a big undertaking, and not to be taken lightly. We also know that a child would be mutually beneficially in our lives and also in his or her life. Our determination, our sense of humor, our ability to resolve conflict would all be cultivated in the growth of a child. We have the education; we have the resources to make it happen. We long for a child who needs us as much as we need them. We believe that having a child is a giant step towards our goal of extending our happy family. We have a large support network of family and friends. I should also mention that we have thousands of friends who keep in touch with us through email, facebook, around the world, and in our local community.
If you give us this opportunity, we are more than willing to take the love on and face any challenges to come. We understand what it means to be young, and what it means to go through everything that a child goes through due to the various demands in this life of ours. We certainly hope that if you give us a chance to succeed, we will give back so much more.
We look forward to hearing from you soon. If you need to call us, you can call us at (415) 407-9297 or if you would like to email us you can email nessnessva@gmail.com .

Sincerely yours,
Nicholas Feldman and Vanessa Castro