For 48-year-old Lamont Thomas, the phrase "it takes a village” isn’t just a saying—it’s a calling. Last month, the single father made headlines by adopting five siblings under the age of six, ensuring they could grow up together.
Over the past two decades, Thomas has fostered more than two dozen children in Buffalo, New York, according to *Good Morning America*. With the addition of Michaela, 1, Major, 2, Nakia, 3, Jamel, 4, and Zendaya, 5, his family now includes 12 children—10 adopted and two biological.
"Every day I think about it, my eyes swell up. All that we endured to make this happen, it was something,” Thomas shared with *GMA*.
Thomas began fostering to help friends whose children had entered the foster care system. Eventually, he became certified as an official foster parent, allowing him to help even more children in need. After 20 years of fostering, Thomas found himself with an empty nest and assumed his time caring for young children was over. But when he learned that the five children of a man he had once fostered were not only in the system but also separated across four cities, he knew he had to step in. He renewed his certification and applied to foster the siblings with the intention of adopting them.
"I wanted to make a difference by being a difference, and I love what I do,” Thomas said in an interview with *GMA*.
After fostering the siblings for two years, the adoption was finalized last month.
"They bring new energy to me. They’re lovable kids, very affectionate,” Thomas said. "They deserve to be raised as siblings, and that was my fight.”
Thank you, Mr. Thomas, for your unwavering dedication and for making a profound difference in the lives of these children. Your story is an inspiration to us all!
