Sweet siblings pray for "nice" foster parents

Four Louisiana siblings split among different foster families have made a public plea to be adopted together into one home. "I miss my brother and my sister," said Hakeem, 7. He's living in a foster home with his brother Leon, 8, while sister Delores, 9, and older brother Dontae, 12, live in separate foster homes. They have not lived together for almost three years.

Hakeem, Leon, Dontae and Delores.

Many families don't feel ready to parent so many children all at once, but during Louisiana's last fiscal year, six families adopted five siblings at once, and 43 families adopted sets of three siblings. Ideally the older siblings take on parental roles, providing a helpful support system. Even so, 75% of foster children are placed apart from their brothers and sisters.

Hakeem, Leon, Delores and Dontae pray to escape that statistic. They dream of uniting with foster parents who are "nice, kind and sweet." And those are the qualities they'll bring to the table. Mary Williams is the current foster Mom for Leon and Hakeem. "They have their routines and chores," she said, "and they love to ask me what I need them to do. They're always asking, 'Ms. Mary, are you okay?'"

To inquire about uniting these sweet siblings in your home, call the Department of Children and Family Services in Louisiana at 337-491-2470.