When Dee and Eric learned that their daughter had given birth to a baby boy, it wasn’t a joyful phone call from the hospital – it was from a social worker. Their grandson, Jonah, had been born drug-exposed, abandoned, and was in the ICU. Dee and Eric were in shock and overtaken with grief, yet they were determined to do everything they could to help their grandson. While they were inclined to take him into their home, their living situation was already stretched too thin. Eric had health challenges, and they were already taking care of Jonah’s half-brother, Chase. They needed someone to help their family.
United Way of Greater St. Louis (UWGSL) helps families overcome challenges and get access to resources and support to sustain them today and for the future. Fortunately for Jonah, a UWGSL partner agency stepped in to facilitate a fateful adoption between two families who were looking for the same thing.
Jonah’s divine destiny
In 2022, Ryan and Betty Kondo moved to St. Louis with their two children, Ryder and Pearl. Ever since they got married, they dreamed of adopting a child. It was something they felt like they were led by God to do, so when their pastor approached them about the idea of accepting Jonah into their home, they were excited to pursue the opportunity.
“We had always had a heart for adoption, so when we were approached about the idea of fostering and potentially adopting Jonah, we were really eager to do it,” said Betty. “We’re a family of faith and one of the commands of the bible is to take care of the orphan and the widow and we feel like that heart for adoption was placed inside of us by God.”
Even though Ryan and Betty were prepared to adopt Jonah, they were concerned about the possibility of it because they weren’t licensed adopters. This is where UWGSL partner agency, Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition’s ability to unite families proved to be crucial.
The Coalition activated their 30 Days to Family program that is designed to help children get placed with family or friends within the first 30 days of entering foster care. Since Dee, Eric and the Kondo family attended the same church, they were all considered kin. This helped the Coalition arrange for Jonah to be placed with the Kondo family once he was released from the hospital.
Soon after welcoming newborn Jonah into their home, Ryan and Betty took him to church so Dee and Eric could meet their grandson for the first time. Seeing the three of them together as a family was special, and now, Dee and Eric could rest assured that their grandson was in good hands.
“We felt like we could sleep at night and know that Jonah would be taken care of,” said Dee and Eric. “We finally felt peace and give thanks to God that worked it out this way.”
The process of officially adopting Jonah wasn’t over though. This was a long, painstaking process, and the Kondo family relocating to Michigan in 2024 made the process even more complicated, but the Coalition remained a constant source of support.
Their Families United program helped them go about the process of becoming licensed adopters. For many families like the Kondos, this can be a daunting task, so Families United helps with tedious tasks like filling out mounds of paperwork, preparing for the adoption home study, gathering resources needed for licensure, and more.
The Coalition stayed by Ryan and Betty’s side every step of the way, and after three long years, the adoption was finally complete, and the Kondos rejoiced.
“It was big weight lifted off of us because there are so many things that are unsure in this process, so knowing how final it was to be given Jonah’s birth certificate and adoption declaration from the judge was such a relief and a joyous occasion,” said Ryan. “This was a culmination of all the time we had already spent together as a family.”
The adoption ceremony was held in May of 2025 at the St. Louis City Family Courthouse. The courtroom was full of family and close friends of the Kondos, including Dee and Eric, as well as staff from the Coalition who helped make this moment possible.
Everyone in attendance was overcome with emotion witnessing this beautiful unification – there was not a dry eye in the room. What started off as a tragic story ended with a child being placed in a happy, supportive, caring family.
“Fostering and adoption has shifted my perspective and given me more empathy for others,” said Betty. “We went through some hardship over those three years and 25 days, but it’s made me a better person, and our children have seen what true compassion means.”
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