Six year old Tori Woltering takes over Judge Carroll’s courtroom
December 20, 2012
With prompting from family, friends and staff from Spaulding Youth Center in Laconia Family Court, a rambunctious six year old girl announced her new name, Tori Woltering, over the microphone. Judge Carroll presided over the unusual adoption proceedings giving Tori free reign and command of the court. Much to the delight of the audience, Tori, who has boundless energy, mischievous eyes and a smile as big as a rainbow explored the front of the courtroom. She sat on Judge Carroll’s lap, played with his computer, gave orders over the microphone and climbed on the chair in the witness stand.
Tori has pulled the heartstrings of many staff members at Spaulding since they began working with her two years ago, first matching her with a wonderful foster family and eventually a loving adoptive family. At the age of four, Tori needed to learn toileting skills and had limited oral communication and significant behavioral challenges. With her vitality and eagerness to learn she soon began to thrive with help from her foster family and support from clinician Liz Biron at Spaulding Youth Center.
Through Spaulding Youth Center’s ISO (Individual Service Option) Foster Care Program in which families become licensed, Michele and Chris Woltering of Raymond and Tori were matched. Tori needed parents with extraordinary energy and enough patience to help with her many challenges. Tori and her prospective parents got to know each other initially by visiting one weekend per month. The time together slowly increased, but it wasn’t long before the Wolterings fell in love with Tori and vice versa.
The Wolterings keep Tori busy with a variety of activities including camping, bowling, Zumba and soccer. This past summer they attended a series of fairy tale performances at the Palace Theatre in Manchester where Tori dressed up like one of the characters for each performance. She also threw out the first pitch at a Fisher Cats game. Tori has embraced her many new relatives and loves to spend time on her grandparents’ farm where she mucks out the chicken coop and collects eggs. To see Tori with her new family, one would think they had been together forever.
The Spaulding Youth Center ISO Foster Care Program provides foster homes for children and youth ranging in age from birth to 18. Make a difference in the life of a deserving child in your community by becoming a foster or adoptive family. For more information, contact Dawn Fontaine, Recruitment & Licensing Specialist at DFontaine@SpauldingYouthCenter.org or 603-286-8901 x285.
Spaulding Youth Center leverages professional expertise to help young people with autism or other developmental and/or behavioral challenges learn the academic and life skills needed to be successful in their homes, schools and communities.
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