Mariama Kora’s life changed when she watched a mother get frustrated with an emotionally upset boy and then ignored him.

“Why are you mad, and why are you not attending to him?” she thought at the time. Mariama found out that the boy was in the foster care system, and she knew she could do better.

Mariama is originally from Gambia, immigrating to the U.S. in 1994. And she has always had a big heart. She has given birth to three children, one of whom was born with multiple congenital abnormalities. The doctors said he would be a “vegetable,” but Mariama refused to accept that. Her boy continues to exceed doctors’ expectations.

At a certain point, she realized there might be another boy who needs a good home because of similar medical problems, and that he could be a friend to her son. “I’m very sympathetic to everyone I see,” said Mariama. “I want to make a difference.”

After getting trained by Children’s Aid, she soon received a call about a 9-year-old boy in our medical foster care program who needed a home for two weeks while his foster mother went on vacation. At the end of the two weeks, the boy who would become her adopted son refused to leave. “He wrapped his entire body around my legs,” said Mariama. “At that point, he had so many difficulties that they had to restrain him to calm down. Today, he’s doing perfect.”

She has brought more kids into her Mount Vernon home. She’s currently fostering a 6-year-old and three 4-year-olds. “If I can lift up one child, then maybe I’m making a difference,” she said.