Chris Youngdale

Having a child is a special thing. I can remember always wanting to have kids, in fact I even had a name picked out for a little girl. The idea that I could make something, impart wisdom, watch it grow and create a lifetime of memories was an exciting thought. But the reality that life can be hard was made clear when my wife and I tried to have a child of our own. We had 4 miscarriages and several doctors tell us that adoption or foster care was our best chance at having a child. By some miracle, we got pregnant and carried that baby boy full term. We would experience 5 more miscarriages and carry two more baby boy’s full term. That experience of loss and joy is something I will never forget. The joy of having my own child, someone that I can experience life with is amazing, and at the same time the words spoken by the doctors on adoption and foster care stayed with me. My wife and I share the desire to foster and possibly adopt at some point, for us timing is important. Knowing that now, is not the right time, we looked for ways to still make a difference, we wanted to do something, but what that something was, I wouldn’t discover until I met Jessica Silvey.
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Jessica is a dreamer, a kind human being that wants to make a difference in the world. The phrase we often use is “Make a generational impact”. Her story of starting CPI is different, but when she shared the dream to make a difference in the foster community, it was full steam ahead and we don’t plan to look back.