a journey
marked by
love
BY TERI R. WILLIAMS
PHOTOS BY LILLIAN MORSE BURTON
As a Vidalia City Council member, Kailey
was often notified when something
occurred in the community that
might concern the public. Usually,
the notifications were about things like downed
power lines or burst water lines. But this time was
different. A four-month-old baby was dead in a
local motel room. The story was heartbreaking. How
could something like this happen right here in Toombs
County? she wondered. Even more troubling was
the fact that this was the second notification in less
than two months of an infant death in a local motel.
This time, tears were not enough. Kailey had to do
something.
Stepping back from the big issues that had
most likely contributed to these deaths, she focused
on one thing: a child in need. Kailey called the
Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS)
to find out the requirements to become a foster
parent in Georgia. “I didn’t know if a single person
could even be a foster parent, but I figured this
HOMETOWN LIVING AT I TS BEST 33
Through fostering and adoption,
Kailey Dees is fulfilling the true
role of a mother by protecting
and loving the most vulnerable.