When we least expect it, sometimes a helping hand will reach out.
And then, we find our purpose in life.
For one woman who thought adoption was something she could never afford, a gift from a family friend changed everything.
Now Brittany Berrie is determined to help others like her.
Berrie first met her daughter, Gracie, when she was only three days old.
Right away, she said, “(I) had this overwhelming feeling this little girl was going to be part of my life,” Berrie said.
Gracie, now 12, needed a guardian when her biological father, a family member of Berrie’s, was unable to take care of the little baby.
Brittany Berrie and Branden Johnson with (L-R) Gracie, Montana and Boston. Photo by Amanda Williams
So Berrie stepped forward to take in Gracie. She was only 20, and lived at home with her parents while going to college. “I thought my parents were going to think I was crazy, but they were on board,” she said.
As time went on, Berrie said she wanted to adopt Gracie, but adoption fees were too much. After talking with a lawyer, she said “he didn’t even give me a number,” telling her it would be very expensive.
“I just figured maybe she can emancipate, or we’ll just wait until she’s 18 and I can adopt her then,” Berrie said.
But then a simple conversation with her cousin changed everything. Casie Bedome had always spent time with Gracie, never realizing Berrie had not formally adopted her.
“I started asking questions, and just kind of got the full story of the legal guardianship and how that doesn’t cover if something happens to Brittany,” Beddome said. “That was a source of anxiety for both Gracie and Brittany.”
Beddome immediately offered to help. “Casie said, ‘If the only thing standing in your way is money, then let me help,” Berrie said.
On July 6, 2021, Berrie legally became Gracie’s mom.
“Gracie and I have always shared a beautiful bond, but now that bond is permanent, and nobody can ever take her away,” she said.
Gracie took the last name of Berrie’s fiancé, Brandon Johnson. The couple are also parents to a son, Boston, 4, and a daughter, Montana, 2.
Brittany Berrie with Gracie, Boston and Montana. Photo by Amanda Williams
The gratefulness that Berrie experienced spurred her to help other families find the same “blessing”, she said.
So in May 2021, Berrie turned her garage into “The Adopted Closet”, a nonprofit vintage used clothing store. The net proceeds go to families to help pay the adoption feeds. AdoptUSKids shows that the fees, charged by adoption attorneys, typically range between $8,000 to $40,000.
The idea, Berrie said, came to her while going to garage sales with her mom.
“I had already been struggling with, how do I thank Casie?” she said.
Just saying ‘thank you’ didn’t seem like enough.”
But then she realized that by reselling items she could raise money to help other families, Berrie said. Her neighbors, when they learned about her plan, began donating bags of clothing and items to help.
“We did the first sale and I thought, ‘We are making this a store,'” Berrie said. “One adoption isn’t going to be good enough. We need to keep helping families.”
She plans to keep the store running as long as there is a need for help. Berrie said she plans to open a storefront at some point, which will allow her to keep the store open all year, instead of having to shut down during winter
“One person can change the script of everybody’s lives,” she said. “(My cousin) offering to pay for our adoption is now affecting and blessing another family and being pushed on, and that is the goal. That is how I’m thanking her.”
Watch this amazing family, below.
