KINGMAN, AZ — A call for help ended up changing a Kingman officer's life forever and it gave one little girl a safe place to call home.
Lieutenant Brian Zach remembers the day two and a half years ago when he met Kaila. Zach, who was working as a patrol sergeant at the time, was called to a scene to assist other officers.
"I recognized her injuries and what they meant and the abuse that she suffered in different stages, so I knew something wasn't right," Zach said.
Zach took Kaila back to the Kingman Police Department, where they would spend the next five hours bonding over games and movies. A representative from the Arizona Department of Child Safety came and took Kaila to the hospital for evaluation. Zach says he went home, but couldn't get Kaila off of his mind.
"Came home, told my wife...the story about this little girl that I just bonded with and would love to bring her home. And in the past 15 years, I've said that many times to my wife... of some kid that I met that I would love to bring home and love and take care of, so it was nothing new for her," Zach said.
He reached out to AZDCS and asked if he could visit Kaila in the hospital. In a matter of days, he would go from visiting her to talking with his family about having Kaila live with them for some time.
She was temporarily placed in their home, but the family would go on to adopt her.
Lieutenant Zach says he hopes their story will inspire more Arizona families to consider fostering and adopting children.
In Arizona, there are currently more than 14,000 children in foster care. About 1,500 of those children live in group homes. Katie Hernandez with Arizona's Children's Association says the need for foster parents is great.
"There's a humongous need right now for foster parents, you know, there's children every single day, especially during the pandemic that we're in right now that are being removed and it's very limited homes. There's not enough homes for all the kids that are in foster care now, so very important," Hernandez said.
If you are not able to foster or adopt a child, Hernandez says you can give back in other ways through mentorship programs, volunteering, and donations.
