Cherokee family fosters more than a dozen children, adopts Cherokee twin girls

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. - Not once, but twice, Cherokee citizen Anna Evans cancelled her appointment to apply for foster parent certification, because after each time she scheduled, she found out she was unexpectedly expecting.

"We didn't even know if we could have biological children, but there we were with a baby on the way every time we were about to start fostering," said Anna Evans, who always had dreams of both fostering and having her own children.

The third time Anna and her husband, Patrick, went to apply for foster parent certification, in May 2021, it was a success. At the time, their biological son and daughter were three and five years old, respectively.

"Maybe the timing wasn't according to our plan," Patrick Evans said. "But it ended up being the best timing, because we had two children before we started fostering, and our son and daughter were just as involved and important in the fostering process as we were."

The Evans family of four has fostered 14 different placements since becoming a foster home with Cherokee Nation, nine of which were Cherokee citizens. They recently adopted two twin girls who are Cherokee and just turned two-years-old in March, making their family of four a family of six. Some of their placements came through the state, and some came through Cherokee Nation Indian Child Welfare. Most of the children were infants to two years old; some of the infants were babies that were just born and left the hospital with the Evans.

"This became our mission and our passion as a whole family," said Anna. "We all had to learn how to guard our hearts and protect the hearts of our placements. You will love and adore every child you foster. The hardest part can be saying goodbye, but the joy of having the children in your care, and the joy of seeing them reunited with their families, are both so significant, for the kids and for us."

Anna and Patrick said that most of the time, the main goal of fostering is to have the children temporarily before they can reunite with their biological family. Two of their former placements were reunited with their own biological, immediate family, and the others went to their biological, extended family.

The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) of 1978 is a federal law that protects children who are enrolled in tribal nations by keeping them in homes that belong to their family or other members of their tribe. This is to promote the stability of Native American tribes and families, protecting the best interests of Native children. Since the Evan's household is a Cherokee household, it takes priority in the placement selection for Cherokee foster children.

"We had one placement for two and a half years, and we even had their sibling for a little while. We grew very close with not only the children but their family member, too. This particular placement reunited with their biological family, and we still keep that connection to this day," Anna said. The kids come over to play often and the two families stay updated on each other's lives.

The couple said that at times, the biological parents are justice-involved or struggling with substance abuse.

"We have seen the Cherokee Nation provide resource after resource to biological families who are struggling in these ways, and we have seen families work on things, heal, and get the kids back. It is amazing to see families grow and blossom, becoming more involved in the community," Anna said.

The Cherokee Nation Indian Child Welfare Office provides foster parents with anything they need to care for the child's physical, mental and emotional needs.

"The supplies we received when fostering through the Cherokee program seemed endless, everything from pack and plays and baby food to diapers and clothing. The caseworker that we had assigned to help us, Stacy, was phenomenal at checking in, doing her periodic visits, making sure we had access to any trainings we needed and making sure the kids had everything they needed."

Anna said that even though the girls they have now were placed with them through the State, the Cherokee Nation Indian Child Welfare office was still involved every step of the way.

"The tribe supported us all the way through fostering and adoption. Their attorneys helped make sure things were done the right way. The adoption process was so smooth for Patrick and me because we had so much support and care from the tribe. They advocated for the girls at court every time," Anna said.

Supervisor of Indian Child Welfare Recruitment for the Cherokee Nation, Wendy Palma, said foster parents also play a vital role in keeping the Cherokee children connected to the tribe, culture, and traditions.

"One of our Cherokee Community Values is 'detsadaligenvdisgesdi,' which means, 'You all take responsibility for one another's wellbeing, ' and foster families exemplify this community value," said Palma. "Patrick and Anna have been a wonderful example of this. They have fostered several children and worked on reunification efforts for them to be reunified with their biological parents. Their home has provided not only shelter, but a sense of security and nurturing care, which will have a lasting impact and a foundation for these children to build resilience and confidence."

The Cherokee Nation Indian Child Welfare office operates a program called 4C, "Cherokee Children's Cultural Connection," for foster children in tribal custody ages four to 18. The program incorporates Cherokee culture, heritage and history.

"One of our placements was in 4C for a few months. She loved it and looked forward to it, especially the horse-riding program. She got some Cherokee language immersion there and brought home materials for us to learn the language along with her," said Anna.

Although the goal with fostering isn't always adoption, it is still a potential outcome, which is what happened with Anna and Patrick's last foster placement. They began fostering two twin six-month-old girls in October 2024, and they adopted them into the family on February 5, 2026.

"The cards dealt were not always favorable for these girls starting in life. When we first got them, they were behind on some things, like eating and swallowing. They had some health setbacks. But seeing them eat solid food for the first time, crawl for the first time, the first steps-it's all so wonderful," said Anna.

Patrick said his son was the youngest for years, but that he bloomed into a big brother when the twins were adopted. "He taught them how to roll and front-flip on the trampoline. And their big sister loves to read them a bed time story every night. It has been beautiful watching them fall into that big sibling role. Once they realized we were adopting the twins, and that this was forever, I could see that switch in their hearts as they realized these are going to be their sisters forever."

Patrick just built a big playground in the backyard, and the family spends most of their days outside. They also take regular trips to the zoo and aquarium, as the twins love animals and are learning the names of them.

"They called every animal a 'monkey,' at first," Patrick said. "But they are working on it! It was very cute."

At home, the kids play with the family dog and a new set of kittens they adopted.

"It's been amazing to make investments in all of these children's lives, and we're so grateful to make a permanent commitment to investing in these two girls' lives," said Patrick.

To learn more about fostering with Cherokee Nation, contact the Cherokee Nation Indian Child Welfare office at 918-458-6900.