ST. LOUIS — In August 2002, KSDK aired its first “A Place to Call Home” segment in partnership with the Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition.
Now in its 21st year, the idea for the project came in 2001. After 9/11, Community Relations Manager Michelle Shockley, Marketing Director Jeff Winget, and General Manager Lynn Beall wanted to design a station project that would have a positive effect on the St. Louis community and last for generations.
Inspired by “Karen’s Kids,” KSDK’s previous adoption program led by anchor Karen Foss, “A Place to Call Home” was born. The goal was to find a forever home for one child in foster care who was part of a hard-to-place circumstance, such as older age or because they were part of a sibling group. Finding a home for even one child would have a positive impact on that child and family forever.
Shockley led the project and hit the ground running. She wanted to make the weekly segment slightly different from other adoption programs featured in the past. To achieve this, she decided instead of simply interviewing the child or their case worker, the segment would take place while the child was doing something fun that would give them a positive memory nobody could ever take away. Some popular locations for these interviews include the Magic House, Zoo, and Science Center.
The “A Place to Call Home” team didn’t have to wait long to see that generational impact. The second story that aired featured siblings GW and Tony. GW was adopted a short time after their story aired. Tony aged out of the system.
Many good stories have come from "A Place to Call Home," but one of the most memorable was a group of nine siblings ranging in age from 3 to 14 that were adopted as a group. The siblings were featured early on in the program and were adopted by a family in Iowa who had already adopted seven other children. They had the means to adopt another sibling group, and wanted to find a large group that is typically hard-to-place so they wouldn't be separated.
In addition to trying to get each child adopted, “A Place to Call Home” also announces the child’s “Little Wish,” such as a bike or tickets to a baseball game and asks the public to contact the Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition to grant the Little Wish.
In 2004, the Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition and KSDK expanded the Little Wishes program to include special holiday wishes with a dedicated shopping day. Each year, St. Louisans purchase around 4,000 gifts for kids in foster care so they have a present to open on Christmas morning. The average price of a Little Wish is $75. To date, nearly 90,000 Little Wishes have been granted by the St. Louis community.
“A Place to Call Home” has been recognized numerous times locally, regionally, and even nationally. Some of the awards include several regional Mid-America EMMY Awards, was nominated for a national EMMY Award, the Angels in Adoption Award from the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, and the Service to America Award from the National Association of Broadcasters.
As of September 2023, nearly 60% of St. Louis foster children featured on “A Place to Call Home” have been adopted, totaling 504 kids.
5 On Your Side has produced a special program called "500 Forever Families," celebrating the children who have found their forever homes. The show is streaming now on 5+ and our YouTube channel.
