ABOUT THE FILM

Synopsis

Loveworthy is a feature documentary unpacking a viral video of a little girl finding out she’s going to be adopted by her foster family. The short home movie racked up more than 50 million views, and the Zezulka’s were invited onto The Ellen Show and gifted a big check and a new car from Mark Wahlberg. If you watch the clip closely, most of its’ power exists in just a few seconds, where little Ivy realizes there may be an end in sight from all the trial and tribulations her and her siblings have gone through over the years.

We’ll unpack what makes that moment so special, while following a few other families who are in various stages of their foster care and adoption journeys. Then we want to understand a discrepancy that is causing an epidemic: Why do stories like this touch our hearts so deeply, yet so few Christians are willing to do anything about it? Why do we rightly fight so hard to preserve God’s precious unborn children, but only 5% of us are willing to take care of the ones who are already here and struggling?

Original Video

The Foster Care Epidemic

Population Statistics

there are

500,000

children in the US foster care system

more than

100,000

of them are eligible to be adopted

every year, only

1 out of 4

will receive a loving home

they spend

2 years

in foster care on average

Aged Out Statistics

23,000

kids will ‘age out’ every year

20%

will become instantly homeless

2%

will obtain a 4 year degree at any time in their life

70%

of females will be pregnant before the age of 21

60%

of males will be convicted of a crime

50%

will develop a substance abuse

Church Statistics

5%

of practicing christians have adopted a child

3%

of practicing christians have fostered a child

christians are

twice

as likely to adopt a child than non-christians

if

every other

christian church in the us fostered one child, we could solve the foster care crisis

The Zezulka Family

Daniel and Paige Zezulka started their foster care journey in the summer of 2015. They took in little Kai and fell instantly in love with him. When they found out that his older sister Ivy was in a foster home just up the road, they decided to take her in as well. Soon after, baby Lita came into the world and joined their growing family too.

They fostered the children for two years, and had talked about their dream of adopting all three kids. When it finally became possible, Daniel and Paige made a little home video telling their oldest daughter the good news.

Unexpectedly, their video went completely viral. With their new found fame, they were excited to see how God would use their story to bless others.

The Strawn Family

Skylar and Brittney Strawn have fostered eight children over their two and half year journey in the foster care system. Unable to have kids of their own, they’ve dreamt of the day they’d be able to grow their family through adoption.

Little Jon came into their care in the summer of 2017 at the age of four. He’d had a hard life and was previously living in a group home for children in transition until a bed in a foster home was to open up.

Since his placement, Skylar and Brittney knew they wanted to adopt him, and little Jon couldn’t wait to be a forever family too. At the end of this year their dream will finally come true.

Kaylee Braisher

Kaylee Braisher is Jon’s older sister. Along with their other siblings, they entered foster care together when Kaylee was 16. Since then, she’s now ‘aged out’ of the system.

Kaylee lives in an independent living program for youth who have aged out of foster care. Going to school to be a trauma therapist, her goal is to help others who’ve had similar experiences to her and her siblings.

Support Us

Our world’s foster children don’t want much. But because of their parents’ poor decisions, they’ve been deprived of the most basic of human rights; safety and love. With your help, we can bear the burdens of the children who need us most.

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