PUEBLO — The Colorado Department of Human Services is recognizing one grandmother in Pueblo for her work in the Foster Care system. Kimberly Sosa was able to help keep her family together in a time they needed it, and currently advocates for other foster grandparents to get the resources they need.
"This is my life right here, this is my legacy," she said while holding her grandson. "My grandchildren are my future."
Sosa was retired and living in California, having adopted one of her 3 grandchildren, when she heard the other two were in the foster care system.
"I sold my home in California, packed up what I could fit, sold the rest, and came back," said Sosa.
Her daughter had been struggling with addiction and had lost custody of the two. Sosa was able to step up and adopt the two of them while her daughter spent time in recovery.
"I said you're going to get clean, and you're going to go back to treatment. You're going to be with your son now, but you're going to stick by me," Sosa continued.
Since then, her daughter has spent more than the last 4 years sober. She has regained custody of the two children and co-parents with Sosa.
"These are the children in our lives that are going to be our future presidents, our future doctors, our future lawyers. We have to make sure that they have stable and beautiful home environments, and are loving. So they can learn, and they can grow up," she said.
There are currently 184 children in the foster care system in Pueblo, and an average of 558 children in the foster care system in El Paso County between the months of January and May. That's according to the Colorado Department of Human Services, which says right now there are 395 children ready for adoption.
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