Mike, Earle and Jose

Detention was pretty familiar to 10-year-old Earle. So was anger. And hurt. He was quick to ignore and rarely acknowledged others.

Mike knew none of this – but he saw Earle’s story on a television special and immediately felt a connection.

“I knew right away he was my son,” Mike says. “I just knew it.” So, he began the path toward adoption by taking parenting classes through CHS. Even though Mike was single, his CHS social worker knew he’d make a great father. Still, she warned him that Earle didn’t particularly like people, especially those he didn’t know. But Mike was different.

“As soon as Earle saw me, he basically jumped in my arms, and we played on the playground,” Mike says.

Yet even after his adoption, Earle had difficulty dealing with the hurt, anger and bitterness that had been part of him for so long. But in less than four short years, his father helped him undergo a dramatic reformation – so much so, Earle’s teachers barely recognize the same young man who sat in their classes just a few years ago.

With the help of his dad, he’s learned to talk through problems, to solve them with his intellect and heart, rather than with his fist. And now, Earle says, he’s happy just about every day – largely because of his father’s influence and guidance.

“My dad’s very loving and caring,” Earle says. “When we have a problem, we talk about it and take care of it. We have a lot of fun and go on trips in the summer.”

Recently, those father-son trips turned into father-sons trips.

A while back, Jose began attending an after-school program Earle was actively involved in. Shortly after, the two formed a great friendship, and Jose became more involved with the family. And on National Adoption Day 2006, Mike adopted Jose, too.

“I’m excited to be in a family that loves me,” Jose says. But there was still one thing troubling him. At 15, Jose’s biggest concern was that his 18th birthday was only three years away – and then he was on his own.

“I told him, ‘this is a real family. You’re part of this family for the rest of your life, and I’ll be here for you the rest of the way,’” Mike says. Now, Jose has hope. He dreams of going to college and owning his own business. Earle envisions himself in the army.

Mike just wants his children to be happy, and he sees them both working through their pasts to be great fathers when they get older. And through his parental love, Mike offers a legacy to be passed on through generations.