Did you know that, according to the Foster America website, 1 in 17 children will end up in foster care?
Or, how about that 50% of the kids within the foster care system will not graduate high school on time, and some of them not at all?
For one young man who found himself in the system, he was able to thrive under the care of none other than The Pioneer Woman herself, Ree Drummond.
Ree, and her husband Ladd, decided to take in 17-year-old Jamar Goff, a friend and teammate of their biological sons, Bryce and Todd.
Jamar had a tough upbringing and was struggling before the Drummond family took him in.
Ladd was the one who suggested fostering the young man as he had met him a few times when he went to his son’s football games and practices.
Ree, having never met him before, was a little on the fence about inviting the 6 foot 5 inch young man into their home with their 4 other children.
Ladd was able to convince her though, and after meeting Jamar for the first time, she knew he would be part of their family from that moment on.
Jamar has lived with the Drummond’s for about 3 years and, now that he is finally 18, Ree is allowed to talk about him.
And talk about him she does, well boast might be a better word.
She has been quoted saying that “Jamar is our bodacious, bright, brilliant bonus kid.”
Ree also writes in her new book, “We never set out to be foster parents. But Jamar’s circumstances kind of presented themselves, and he’s just a full on member of our family now.”
Since moving in with the Drummond’s, Jamar has graduated from high school and was offered football scholarships at multiple different universities.
Accepting the offer from the University of Central Oklahoma, Jamar will soon be leaving the nest to improve his football skills, as well as his academic prowess.
And Ree, who has already had to say goodbye to 3 of her 4 biological children said that saying goodbye to Jamar will be just as difficult as it was with the others.
Recently, Jamar started up his own Instagram account and has opened up a little bit about how much he appreciates the family.
Ladd recently celebrated his 54th birthday and Jamar posted a beautiful sentiment about the man who took him in as his own.
“I’ve been blessed with the best father figure I could possibly ask for.” the teenager writes, “The smartest, strongest, most dedicated and devoted man I know. You’ve taught me more things than you know and you’re still teaching me.”
He continues by saying, “Thank you for everything you’ve done and everything you’re doing, I couldn’t be more grateful for the man I get to call ‘Dad’.”
Though fostering had never been in the plans for either Ree or Ladd, the fact that they took in a young man and made him an “inextricable part of the family”, has surely changed Jamar’s life.
He will no doubt always consider the Drummond’s his own family, and be forever grateful to his new parents.
See how proud the Drummond family is of Jamar in the video below.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
