The Harraway Family
Kinship Care and Adoptions
Yvette Harraway was a foster parent in California for many years. Throughout her life, she’s fostered several children, many of whom have had special medical needs. Yvette moved to Arizona where she met her husband, Arnold, and his daughter. After Yvette had already adopted three of her foster children who are each burn survivors, the new couple decided to continue Yvette’s passion for caring for children who have no place left to turn. The Harraway family began working with Southwest Human Development’s Kinship Care and Adoptions program when they met Bonnie, a two-year-old girl who is also a burn survivor, and her four-year-old brother, Arnold, Jr.
Due to the significant medical needs of the family’s three oldest children, the family spent a lot of time in and out of the hospital. It was during one such hospital visit that the family met five-year-old Bonnie who was staying in the room next to their daughter, Crystal. Crystal noticed that Bonnie never had any visitors and they became great friends. The family learned that Bonnie would be unable to return to her parents’ care after suffering her own burn injuries and so, the Harraway family welcomed Bonnie into their home with open arms. With the assistance of Southwest Human Development’s Kinship Care and Adoptions program, a family support specialist worked with Yvette and Arnold to complete an adoption study and provide support, helping bring their family to five children in total.
After adopting Bonnie, the Harraway family learned that Bonnie had other siblings in foster care and began searching for a way to reunite the siblings. Although one of Bonnie’s siblings was already in kinship care in another state, Yvette and Arnold found Arnold, Jr. and worked with Southwest Human Development’s Kinship Care and Adoptions program to adopt him as well. Eventually, the Harraway’s adopted yet another child, bringing their total to seven children in all. Today, now five-year-old Bonnie and seven-year-old Arnold, Jr. enjoy playing with their brothers and sisters and are enjoying their newfound life with the Harraway’s. The partnership between the Harraway’s and Southwest Human Development is an incredible example of how passionate parents and the agency work together to build strong families.
