View Family Summary - A Family For Every Child

For further information, please call 877-343-2856 or email matching@afamilyforeverychild.org

Angel and Michelle
Oregon

Basic Info

Angel

Age: 48
Sex: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian, Native American, Hispanic
Religion: Christian

Michelle

Age: 53
Sex: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Religion: Christian

Child Preferences

Age: 8 to 21 years old
Sex: Either
Max Number of Children: 3
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian, African American, Asian, Native American, Hispanic, Pacific Islander

Special Needs the Family is Open To: Mild Physical/Medical Disability (Open to Discussion), Animal Allergies, Asthma, Drug Allergies, Environmental Allergies, Food Allergies, Physically Aggressive to Other Children, Defiant, Difficulty in Attaching, Difficulty Making Friends, Lying, Manipulative, Poor Social Skills, Self-Abuse, Stealing, Suicidal Attempts, Tantrums-Severe, Wets the Bed, Born with HIV issues or HIV Positive, Drug Addicted at Birth, Failure to Thrive, Fetal Alcohol Effected, Low Birth Weight or Premature, Prenatal Drug Exposure, Non-Ambulatory, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Physically Disabled-Mild, Hearing Impaired, Speech Delays - Mild, Speech Delays - Moderate, Vision Impaired, Anorexia/Bulimia, Hoarding, Overeating, Academically behind due to poor attendance, Cognitive Delay - Mild, Expulsion(s), Has Behavior Problems in School, Mild Learning Disabilities, Moderate Learning Disabilities, Speech or Language Impairment, Suspension(s), One/Both Parents Diagnosed with Depression, One/Both Parents Diagnosed with Schizophrenia, One/Both Parents Have Alcohol Addiction, One/Both Parents Have Drug Addiction, One/Both Parents Diagnosed with Bipolar, Exposed to Domestic Violence, One/Both Parents Have Had a Mental Diagnosis, Child in Residential Treatment, Child has had a disrupted adoption, Multiple Placements, Residential Treatment History, Parents Willing to Seek Guardianship, ADHD, Arthritis, Diabetes, Epilepsy, Adjustment Disorder, Aspergers Syndrome, Depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Requires Counseling/Therapy, Runaway - Occasionally, Willing to Maintain Contact via Mail with Bio Family, Willing to Maintain Contact with Past Foster Parents, Willing to Maintain Contact with Bio Grandparents & Other Relatives, Willing to Maintain Contact with Bio Siblings, Child Identifies as LGBT, History of Sexually Acting Out, Sexually Abused in the Past, Sexually Active, Alcohol Use, Marijuana, Smokes Cigarettes

Environment

State: Oregon
Neighborhood: City/Urban
Residency:
Years Together: 15
Children in the Home: 0
Pet(s): Cat(s)

Work

Angel

Occupation: Online Sales

Michelle

Occupation: Architect

Adoption Agency

Agency: A Family For Every Child
Worker: Dina Badolato
Worker: dina@afamilyforeverychild.org
City: Eugene
State: Oregon
Zip: 97402

Family Description

Michangel (as our friends lovingly call us), just two big kids, with a love of life, family, and adventure, seek to add more to our tribe! Join us for a lot of love, laughter, learning, discovering, and fun. Our current family consists of the two of us, our big fluffy cat, Sir Lancelot and our close circle of family and friends we get together with often. We live in SE Portland, Oregon which is very close to many Portland Parks, OMSI, Oaks Park and the Mt Scott Community Center. We have a very large house with a big yard, pool and an abundance of veggies and fruits ready for up to 3 children to enjoy. We have worked hard to get to a very comfortable place financially and would like to share this success with a sibling group in need ages 6 -21 of any ethnic background and would consider other children outside this age range if they are part of a sibling group. Our hobbies we would like to share include playing board games, collecting LEGO, everything Star Wars, year-round concerts, the theatre, movies, traveling, visiting museums, learning history, exploring new food & cooking, swimming, camping, bike riding and everything else in between.

Preference Description

We are looking to adopt a child or sibling group between the ages of 8-21 years old, of any ethnic background. We are willing to accept a child with special needs or developmental delays but with no serious permanent disability.

The May-Startt Family Profile

In general, we are looking to adopt a child or sibling group between the ages of 6-21 years old, of any ethnic background. We are willing to accept a child with special needs or developmental delays but with no serious permanent disability. We also do not mind contact with the child's biological parents, foster parents or extended family as long as it is safe for the child.

Introduction

Our names are Angel May and Michelle Startt. Angel is 45 and Michelle is 50 and we do not yet have any children, but do have a very large fluffy cat named Sir Lancelot. Angel works part-time for herself selling fun stuff like games and collectibles and is semi-retired after selling a very large game store located in Portland OR in 2019. Prior to starting the game store, Angel worked as an Electrician and still maintains her license in case she may need it one day. She has a flexible work schedule and can accommodate working around a child's schedule. Michelle works full-time for as an Architect. She has been working with her firm for over 22 years to work her way up to Managing Principal. She enjoys her job and the people she works with and has a flexible work schedule.

We met over 15 years ago on a project job site. Angel was the foreman electrician and Michelle was the architect. That same year, Angel was starting the game store and together we built up a very successful business and were fortunate enough to sell it 12 years later. We now own a small game store in Newberg, OR that sells primarily video games, Lego and disc golf. We manage this store primarily from Portland and do go down once a week to check in and help out, but it is set up to run its self with our staff on hand.

Our hobbies together include playing board games, collecting LEGO, everything Star Wars, year-round concerts, the theatre, movies, traveling, visiting museums, learning history, exploring food, cooking, basking in sunshine, swimming, camping, bike riding and continually improving our home. Additional hobbies that Angel enjoys are playing D&D with friends, treasure hunting for collectibles, collecting art, going for runs, and reading. Additional hobbies that Michelle enjoys are gardening, puzzles, television, walks, and canning & preserving the fruits and veggies from the yard.

Holidays are very important to us. Halloween being our favorite. We love to dress up and create new costumes. Thanksgiving and Christmas are spent with family filled with a ton of great food and traditional cookie making.

Home and Community

We live in SE Portland, Oregon close to the downtown urban core, but also in a very quiet neighborhood surrounded by parks and close to several schools. We have a large park across the street from us that includes a playground, tennis courts, baseball field, running trail, and play equipment. A few blocks South of us is Reed College, a world renowned liberal arts college with a beautiful and open campus. A bit further South is the Woodstock neighborhood, a great place to stroll and pick up any market needs, grab a bite to eat, eat our very favorite ice cream, or visit the library for a book. A 20 minute bike ride to the West is the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. And a 10 minute drive East would get us to the Mt. Scott community center public pool. Even closer is the duck and rhododendron park. We are surrounded by a plethora of fun, educational, and often times free places to visit and share.

Parenting Experience

Angel helped raise two of her nephews when they were between the ages of 6-12, when they needed to be removed from their parents for a time. They lived with her and a previous partner for 3 years. At the time, she was laid off from electrical work and she reveled in the chance to walk them to school, help with homework, make lunches, and be a part of their life. Together, we have played the "auntie" role for 2 of our friend, Leah's children. We have been a part of their lives since they were very little. They are 13 & 16 now and it's been fun to see them grow into themselves over the years. They are turning into fine human beings and we are proud to be a part of that transition. Our game store business introduced us to many children and families over the years. The community we created within the business, allowed us to be involved, and to be a consistent pillar in their lives. We had the pleasure of seeing these kids and families grow and mature as our business did so as well. We were all one big happy family! The relationships we forged continue to be maintained via Facebook, social media, and the occasional run-in around town.

Support

We are fortunate to have a very strong friend and family network. Our friend circle is what we like to call the family we choose, and pre covid, we were very active in all their lives. During covid, we have narrowed our circle to much fewer friends and family. But we know this is temporary, and soon we will be able to join our loved ones again on a regular basis.

We are very close with Angel's sister and see her regularly. They are only 11 months apart in age and maintain a very close relationship. Lucy has lived with us on and off several times over the years and will be a great auntie to our children.

We are also very close with Michelle's parents, both sets. We generally see Michelle's Mom & Jim every few months. They live in Washington state, but are close enough to visit often. They are a great support to us and are very excited to become grandparents again! We see Michelle's Dad & Debbie a little less frequent as they live a little further away, but they are also very excited to be grandparents for our children. My step mom has a long career of elementary education experience and they have also been foster parents for children in need over the years. They will be a great resource and support for us and our children.

Motivation to Adopt

Our motivation for adoption comes from wanting to make the world a better place by providing older kids the opportunity to have a forever home. Our mission behind getting into the game store business was to connect people and grow community through games. Building that business took the majority of our time and efforts for many years. Once we sold that business, the opportunity opened up for us to share the lives we have built, with a child or sibling group in need. We really like the idea of adopting a sibling group and being able to keep a family together. We know there will be many challenges along the way. We rise to challenges and believe that our decisions and actions often time come with hurdles and obstacles. That's ok, those things make the journey all the more enjoyable and more rewarding in the end.

We are loyal and dedicated. Determined to work through any issues that arise. Once we are committed, there is no challenge we can't overcome as a team and family. The opportunity to set an example to our children, of these qualities, is a reward unto itself.