$26,000 Gift Makes Van Dream a Reality for Family Adopting Boy with Special Needs

September 10, 2020

Port Saint Lucie –

Ask and it shall be given to you. Seek and you shall find...perhaps in your driveway.

The St. Lucie County Keen Family needed a new van specially outfitted to accommodate their soon-to-be adopted son and his wheelchair.

So a group of local foster parents reached out on the family's behalf and contacted Forever Family, a program based in South Florida that works with local media outlets to help find adoptive homes for children.

News Channel 12 - a regular Forever Family partner - agreed to produce and air a news segment about the Keens, and Forever Family set up a fundraiser to help pay for a new van.

The program had raised $34,129 as of Wednesday.

"We will be purchasing the van Friday," said Gia Tutalo-Mote, Forever Family founder and director. "Any dollars left over will go toward the necessary van modifications."

Money for the van was raised on several platforms, and included $6,596 from Paypal donations, $610 from Facebook, checks in the amount of $550 and a single anonymous donation totaling $26,373.60.

"Unfortunately, the van we got when we started fostering can't fit a wheelchair and five children," said Savanah Keen, who, with husband Michael, has four other children, including a teenager adopted from the foster-care system.