5-year-old Danielle from Grand Rapids, Michigan recently received a surprise she won’t soon forget: an unexpected visit from a handful of Disney princesses!
The enchanting surprise is made even more magical by the fact that the event which these iconic Disney characters appeared was Danielle’s adoption hearing.
Jim and Sarah Koning, Danielle’s “forever family”, had fostered young Danielle since March of 2014 through the foster care program at Samaritas Foster Care Services. After the lengthy processing period, the Konings were able to finalize their adoption earlier this June.
(Source: Anna Blanding) The Koning Family
After waiting for such a long time to finally declare Danielle their daughter by law, the loving couple knew they had to make the day even more special than it already was. Luckily for the adoptive parents, caseworkers at Samaritas like Kristina Grey were just as eager to make Danielle’s day as magical as possible.Knowing that Danielle is obsessed with all things Disney, Grey came up with the idea to dress everyone in Disney apparel.
Trina Kent, resource family development specialist at Samaritas told BuzzFeed, “[Grey] simply asked a fellow caseworker named Taylor if she wouldn’t mind dressing up as Cinderella, who is Danielle’s favorite princess.”
The adorable idea caught on…quick. Evidently, “a whole bunch of our other caseworkers got into it,” Kent claims.
Learn more about Danielle’s magical adoption hearing, and see the enchanting video! Click next for more!
“We were identifying princesses all over the office, and it turned from one caseworker being Cinderella to us having nine princesses and one prince,” she added.
In fact, even the judge got in on the fun. At the hearing, the honorable judge dressed from head to toe as Snow White!
(Source: Anna Blanding) even the judge played along!
Sarah and Jim Koning recall the look on their adoptive daughter’s face as the princesses walked in: “The look on Danielle’s face was wonderful. It was good to see her so happy and excited,” they said in their interview with BuzzFeed. “She was a little bit in shock.”
Danielle’s magical day doesn’t come without some dark ones before it. The Konings claim that, “Danielle has really been unsettled about what’s going to happen to her, because for the longest time we couldn’t tell her ‘Yes, you’re staying here, and we’re not going anywhere,’ because we didn’t know.”
“So, making it so special and something she’ll really remember, it makes it really final in her mind,” Sarah Koning explained. “It makes it feel like, this is it. This is where I’m staying. This is my family.”
You can watch the Danielle’s Disney surprise below:
READ: Deaf girl receives a magical surprise on her Disney World visit
Be sure to check out theAsianparent Community for more insightful stories, questions, and answers from parents and experts alike. If you have any insights, questions or comments regarding the topic, please share them in our Comment box below. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Google+ to stay up-to-date on the latest from theAsianparent.com Philippines!