The Hazel Family

Meet the Hazels … two adoptions and another foster child later …

STRATFORD, CT – Meet a Stratford, CT, couple, Bill and Tracy Hazel, who have adopted two children, and who are the therapeutic foster parents for a third child, and who were named the Boys & Girls Village’s 2005 Foster Parents of the Year.

Bill and Tracy were honored at the agency's Annual Awards Dinner on Feb. 17, 2005 at the Grassy Hill Country Club, Orange.

The couple was cited for their "caring and compassion,” said Karen Sylvia, Director of Community Services. "They have provided a wonderful home for two children who have really thrived under their care."

The Hazels, who met on a blind date in New York, were married in 2000. Tracy Hazel said she has been thinking about becoming a foster and adoptive parent for a long time. "It was something Bill and I had talked about before we were married," she said. "When I was in the military, I met a foster parent. When I visited her home, I saw 100 or so pictures of children who had spent time as a foster child with her. I was very impressed."

Bill Hazel is a social work supervisor in the Bridgeport office of the state Department of Children & Families (DCF). There have been many children "in the system" through the years who he had thought of taking a personal interest in. Then one day, the couple answered a Boys & Girls Village advertisement seeking foster and adoptive parent trainees. They were first interested in providing foster care to a sibling group that ended up not being available at the time. Not long afterward, they were shown the picture of another child in need. Bill remembered, "As soon as Tracy saw Amber's picture, that was it."

Along with agency staff, the couple and Amber lunched at Kentucky Fried Chicken. Bill noted that Amber "was scared, and not much interested in Tracy or I, but held onto the chicken for dear life."  After a series of day visits, and meeting the previous foster family, Amber joined the Hazel family, eventually being adopted.

In her previous foster family, Amber had a special elderly caregiver she called "Grandma." Soon after coming to the Hazels, "Grandma" passed, and all involved agree that "Grandma" waited until Amber had a good home before passing.

Then there is this amazing story: Recently, Amber was reunited with her natural brother at a chance meeting at the Stratford Wal-Mart store. Her brother, in his late 20s, was passing by the Hazel family – just by chance. He stopped Tracy short in the store, telling her that he thought Amber looked very much like his mother, even though he hadn't seen his sister since she was 6-months-old. Sure enough, he was correct, and the two remain in contact to this day.

One child was definitely not enough, and soon thereafter the Hazels learned of another child in long-term care at the Kids I.N.N. at Boys & Girls Village in Milford. "I was enamored with Lianna from first sight," said Tracy.

After a Thanksgiving visit to the home, and many months of preparation, Lianna moved in with the family in December 2003. Although admitting it has been difficult, Tracy gushes that Lianna has gone from "hating school to loving it," and has the grades to prove it. Lianna keeps in contact with her maternal grandparents and was formally adopted into the Hazel family in late November 2004.

More recently, the couple has taken in another young foster child, a boy 9-years-old, who said he is happy because "I get lots of love every day," and "I have a sister who lets me give her lots of bear hugs." Tracy Hazel noted that she has not been shy for advocating for the children in her care, whether it be in school or for other community support "that these kids deserve." For his part, Bill Hazel says becoming a foster and adoptive parent is "the hardest job you'll ever love. You need infinite patience and resourcefulness. But the rewards far outweigh the negatives."