SOUTH BOSTON, Va. – The joy adoption brought to a local woman's family has inspired her to help others find the same. Ashley Hensley of South Boston is working to break down financial barriers to adoption, one shoe at a time.
Hensley launched her luxury shoe brand ‘Seecaas’ in March. She designed her adorable shoes for comfort, style and to spread the message of the beauty of adoption. A portion of the proceeds from each sale goes to the Hope for Adoption Foundation which provides grant money to families looking to adopt.
A family of five, Hensley has three beautiful children, two of which were adopted.
“That’s how our family was complete, was through adoption. Without adoption, we wouldn’t have our youngest two children and we couldn’t imagine our life without them,” Hensley said.
While families like Hensley's may have plenty of love to give to a child, he explains the expense of the process can often be a barrier.
“That is one of the things that I think turns families away from wanting to adopt or trying to adopt is the cost of it,” Hensley said.
Now a walk in her shoes is helping other families find that same joy. Each shoe is adorned with triangles representing adoption. Bracelets are also available.
To date, the Hope for Adoption Foundation has provided money for two families to adopt a child.
In the future, they hope to help more.
“Knowing that we will be able to help in some small way help that family dreams come true with adoption is just a wonderful feeling,” Hensley said.