Our Shining Stars

“I was nervous,” admitted Gaddiel. “I didn’t know what was in store for me.”

At Greystone, he followed a consistent daily routine — attending school, completing assignments, and learning to take responsibility for his actions. Guest speakers and staff challenged him to reflect on his choices and envision a different path forward.

“I wasn’t ready for the life lesson that Adelphoi presented to me,” Gaddiel said, “but I came to appreciate them more as I went through my trials and tribulations in life. One of the things I took away from Adelphoi is the confronting system. It teaches accountability and helps young people hold each other responsible for their actions.”

After his time at Adelphoi, Gaddiel continued to face challenges but ultimately found purpose and redemption through service and leadership. He founded All Night Promotions, a business that not only hosted community events but also gave back through free back-to-school haircuts, food drives, and a neighborhood chess club for kids.

He later survived a near-fatal shooting — an experience that deepened his faith and commitment to positive change. With the support of his wife, Miracle, Gaddiel recovered and went on to write “8 Shots to the Truth,” a book sharing his story of resilience and transformation.

Today, as a proud father of three, Gaddiel continues to credit Adelphoi for planting the seeds of accountability and self-awareness that helped him turn his life around.

“The only advice I can give to kids is to take control of your life — you only get one,” he said. “Ask God to guide you through any hardship, and He will.”

Sing for Life has been a fixture at Adelphoi’s campus for several years now. As part of this program, he spends roughly 2 hours with girls from different group homes, along with the group home staff and Activities Coordinator Jason Merwin, a long-time employee of Adelphoi.  When prompted, Jason and the staff lend their own voices to the group sing-along.

Simon’s connection to Adelphoi came about approximately two years ago when he was running the Sing for Life program in Ohio. “I was working with a judge there, and that judge introduced me to Russ Carlino [Allegheny County Chief Juvenile Probation Officer]. Russ heard what I was doing and wanted to bring exposure to music to the youth in his jurisdiction. Russ then introduced me to Mark Mortimer, who is the COO at Adelphoi, and Mark made it happen.”

Mark worked with Jason to facilitate the program in Latrobe.  Sing for Life is provided free to Adelphoi, as part of Simon’s mission to empower youth with music.  Initially, the program began with both boys and girls units, but has recently focused more on the girls, who have demonstrated a true passion for singing.

Simon’s approach, which combines encouragement and authenticity, fosters connection and trust. “The girls get excited when they know they have karaoke event with Simon,” noted Jason. “He’s very unique in his approach. What he brings is different than what they’re used to.”

Simon believes that music is critical to a child’s development, especially children who have experienced trauma. “Music is the beat of life, it’s the heartbeat. That’s the magic of music. Kids need music, just like they need sunshine. What I witness is that the girls I work with feel empowered when they sing together or alone.”

Simon explains that there are certain songs that the kids are drawn to based upon lyrics or themes that resonate with them and their life experiences.  According to Simon, boys often want to sing “Lost Boy” by Ruth B because they see themselves in the song.  Girls lean toward “Stay” by Rihanna, which centers around being in a relationship which is not safe for them. 

Jason noted that Simon’s regular visitation is important to the girls. “He’s friendly, kind.  And most importantly, he does what he says. If he says he will be here, I know he will be here.”

Simon credits his background as a French native for helping him connect with youth. “When I first meet the kids, I say ‘Bonjour,’ and it sparks their curiosity. It’s a word that carries no trauma for them— no trigger, it opens the door to trust.” Over his 25 years in the United States, Simon, who is now also a proud American citizen, has found that his accent often serves as a bridge, breaking down walls and creating opportunities for meaningful dialogue.

In addition to his work with Adelphoi, Simon also facilitates Sing for Life with kids in a behavioral health unit of a hospital in Akron. Over the years, he has forged a connection between the two. Recently, the girls from Adelphoi’s Middle Creek unit created a large, colorful banner for the kids in Akron to hang in their unit that says: “The Rain may drench you, but it will not drown you.  Never give up.”

Rory, one of the youth currently in the Sing for Life program, notes that Mr. Simon has helped her through challenging circumstances.  “Mr. Simon has been very important in my life,
 she notes.  “He has helped me through my suicidal thoughts and helped me to realize that I’m stronger than I want to be.”

Simon remarks that he has been impressed from the very beginning about the work being done at Adelphoi. “I’ve led this program in many settings, but Adelphoi has something unique.  I always say, ‘It takes a village to raise a kid.  It takes Adelphoi Village to save a kid.’”

In reflecting over the past few years, he views himself simply as a facilitator of expression, helping to bringing out what is already inside of these kids. “I’m just a tiny part of what goes on at Adelphoi. I hope I inspire these girls to not give up. I always tell them, ‘I only ask for one thing in return…help to save the next kid.’”

Simon credits both Jason and Russ Carlino for helping to facilitate this journey to Adelphoi.  “Russ opened the door to a wonderful part of my life. And Jason is my teammate. He is loyal, and a friend to this program. You can see that the kids genuinely love him.”

Jason notes that Simon has also inspired him in many ways. “He’s become a mentor to me, and I learn so much from him and his approach to working with kids.”

“He’s also a role model to our kids,” Jason continued, “something that many of them don’t have in their lives. He always finds the positive in them.”

According to Simon, everyone could do something like this, both for the kids and for themselves. “I would say to them, ‘Do you want to hear the most beautiful thing in the world?  Create light? Then help these children express themselves through music.’ I want to inspire others to do what I do. If we can show kids that they are worth it, they change.” 

Simon believes his upbringing has helped to pave the way to taking on this project. He speaks fondly of his parents and their influence on him. His father passed away recently, which makes the letter he received from a young girl at Adelphoi — framed in his office along with other gifted artwork from youth in the program — even more poignant. The letter was addressed to both Simon and his father. In it, she writes:

“Dear Simon’s Father:  You are truly an amazing man. Thank you for that. Simon told me I could change the world. He told us we are the future. He has changed my life, and I’m going to change the world.”

In September, Simon brought his 80-year-old mother to participate in Sing for Life, and she had the opportunity to sing in harmony with the girls from Adelphoi. The youth embraced her presence immediately. She has since written them notes of encouragement and even serves as pen pal to some of the girls, including Rory. Simon said, “I believe that they inspired her and she has inspired them.”

“I’ve been very lucky in my life; I’ve had wonderful parents. My mother gave me my ‘joy of life.’ She taught me compassion and to love life. My father instilled in me hard work, ethics, discipline, and to never give up. Through this work, I’ve had the opportunity to understand the challenges of kids who were born into unfortunate circumstances. I don’t have children of my own, but I consider all of these kids my kids,” he says. “At the end of the day, I want to be able to say, “I did what I could. Mission accomplished.”

As for the future, Simon plans to keep going. “I will continue to bring music to these girls for as long as I can. It’s been my privilege to do this work. As long as I have a heart, I will do this.”

“My cousin met a girl who already had three small children,” Julie began. “It wasn’t long after they got together that CYS became involved and they ended up removing the children and putting them into foster care. It was just a few short months later that she ended up getting pregnant with Kashton.

“The day Kashton was born marked a year that the other kids had been in foster care with no progress,” she continued. “So after Kashton was released from the hospital, he also went into foster care.”

Initially, his birth mother did not want the newborn to be placed with family. It wasn’t until July of 2022, when he was five weeks old, that she agreed to a kinship placement with Julie and Scott.

“We learned pretty quickly that if it came down to Kashton needing to be adopted that we would have to become foster parents, so we worked quickly and became legal foster/adoptive parents,” Julie recalled. “By October of 2022, we officially were licensed.”

“We have had an amazing experience with the agency,” she praised. “Our case worker, Jenni, has been a heaven-send for us. We are forever grateful for her hard work.”

On Sept. 20, 2024, the Wesleys officially adopted Kashton.

With Kashton having been with the couple since infancy, they have had the joy of witnessing him grow into a lively, intelligent toddler, all while creating countless special memories together.

Julie reminisced about some of the most treasured moments they’ve shared, such as when he learned his ABCs at just one year old, took his first steps at 11 months, and enjoyed outings at fairs where he danced and fed the animals.

“The day we adopted him was by far one of our special memories we’ll cherish forever,” she said.

“Kashton loves to talk, he sings, he knows how to spell his name, he knows his address, he can tell you what town he lives in, what state he lives in, he can tell you what town his aunt lives in and where his grandma lives,” Julie proudly stated.

“He loves all animals, dinosaurs, [YouTubers] Blippi, Cocomelon, and Ms. Rachel. He loves to clean and bake with me, and when dad’s doing anything, he’s right there eager to learn and help. He knows what more tools are called than I do.

“My goal from the time he came to us was for him to never feel like he was adopted, but to know the situation down the road,” Julie noted. “He’s such a blessing. Seeing the smile on his face every day is more than enough for me to know that no matter what, he deserves to have a good life, and a good life is just what he’s going to get.”

In closing, she shared the following words of wisdom for both current and aspiring foster parents.

“Just remember the reason you are who you are and why you do what you do. The kids deserve love whether they are with you for a day, week, month, or years. No matter what happens remain the bigger person, stay focused on the goal. We’re the voices for the kids and they are always watching and listening. 

“Don’t be afraid to ask questions and use your voice. This is no easy task, but you’ve got this. Make every activity enjoyable, don’t dwell on how little or long you have the children, just make every memory count. You’re amazing.”

The Wesley family has chosen to continue to open their home to additional children through traditional foster care with Adelphoi.