One of the rules in the Gallagher home is practiced every night.
“No elbows on the table,” 12-year-old Karrla reported through uncontrollable laughter.
A few feet away, Dawn Gallagher smiled at her daughter. Family dinners are the most important moments in a day to her. It’s the time of the day when her entire family gets together.
“I think I’m more thankful for them. They’ve taught me a lot,” said Dawn.
The Gallaghers from Hudson are a unique bunch. Dawn and Scott have 10 total kids – four biological and six adopted. The oldest is 31-year-old Kevin. The youngest is 8-year-old Becca. In between are Samantha (27), Sarah (24), Jessica (19), Destiny (17), Christine (16), Alexis (14), and Karrla. Becky, would have turned 30 this year, died when she was 8.
Adoption was something Scott wished had happened to him.
“When I was a child, I aged out of the system and I didn’t get a chance to be adopted,” he said. “That’s what I wanted to do this for. That’s what this was all about.”
He and Dawn started adopting kids about five years ago. Becca was just 3 when she joined the Gallaghers. Others were adopted as sibling units in their teen years.
“I’m 17 years old now and I was adopted 4 1/2 years ago,” said Destiny. “It’s hard, but I’ve never been more thankful to call somebody my mom and dad and for somebody to be there for me throughout all these years and support me in all I do. It’s the best thing I could have asked for.”
There are fights in the house on occasion. That will happen with teenage girls. Yet, they all say they are closer than ever expected. Sharing similar struggles en route to the Gallaghers has connected them.
“I’m being raised by these really good parents so when I get older I’m going to have a good life,” said Karrla. “I don’t think there would be any other good parents besides these.”
Three girls were adopted from the Pinellas-Pasco Heart Gallery. It’s an organization that attempts to pair kids with loving families. The Gallaghers will be guests at the Heart Gallery fundraiser on Nov. 9. The event brings together welfare workers and child advocates in hopes to get more children adopted.
“I wanted a dad, especially,” Alexis said through tears. “There’s kids who do want to be adopted very, very much.”
The foundation the Gallaghers have provided is the same foundation they hope to inspire others towards doing.
“I was something we discussed, and we just said, okay let’s do it,” said Dawn. “Every child deserves a home.”
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