It started as a way to help out some friends but 20 years later Lamont Thomas has offered more than 30 children a loving and stable home when they needed it most.
Now he has adopted five siblings all aged 5 and under bringing his brood to a count of 12 children.
The New York man with a big heart gets emotional when he thinks about what he went through to adopt all five of his children and keep them together.
“I was fighting to keep back the tears,” Lamont told Good Morning America. “Every day I think about it, my eyes swell up. All that we endured to make this happen, it was something.”
He became the proud father of siblings Zendaya, 5, Jamel, 4, Nakia, 3, Major, 2 and Michaela, 1, on October 17.
Never turned a child away
Lamont has fostered more than 30 children since 2000. He’s now dad to 10 adopted kids and two biological kids, ABC News reports.
“In the beginning, I was helping out some friends. They had lost their child to the system,” Lamont told ABC News. “I went on and got certified and became a foster parent. I haven’t stopped since.”
One of his adopted children Michael said Lamont never turned a child away adding, “they either aged out or went back home to their own families.”
‘They deserve to be raised as siblings’
Michael, now 27 years old, was thought to be the last child Lamont adopted but it wasn’t until he discovered the five siblings who needed help did he “come out of retirement.”
Lamont had once fostered the five kids’ father and when he heard his kids needed help he got re-certified and applied to foster with intent to adopt, ABC News reported.
“The kids ended up being taken into care — I believe it was due to neglect,” Lamont said. “They had them in four different homes, four different cities. They were separated for over a year-and-a-half.
“They bring new energy to me. They’re lovable kids, very affectionate,” Lamont said.” “They deserve to be raised as siblings, and that was my fight.”
Lamont told ABC News that he wanted to make a difference by being a difference.
What an inspirational man. The world needs more people like Lamont, who has made so many sacrifices to give needy kids a chance. Please SHARE if you agree.