How the Colts GM and Wife Saved the Lives of 4 Children in Need
Chris Ballard, Indianapolis Colts General Manager, and his wife, Kristin Ballard, opened up about adopting two of four young siblings in desperate need of a home.
The Ballard family received word in 2010 that the four daughters of an extended family member had been removed from their home by the state of Texas, according to WTHR.
The girls had been placed in two separate foster homes. The oldest two, Skylar and Angel, went to one foster home while the younger two, Sunnie and Rainn, went to a second.
The Ballards quickly began the process of becoming foster care certified in order to have the younger two girls placed in their home.
Kristin Ballard went from taking care of her three biological children to caring for five — the two foster girls in desperate need of therapy and counseling after living in trauma.
Eventually, Kristin Ballard went on to convince the girl’s biological mother that the most loving thing she could do would be to sever her parental rights and allow all four of the girls the opportunity to live in a safe and stable home.
“There are four girls here who need a chance at life,” Kristin told her extended family member during a 2012 court date.
“This is your choice, but you need to make a choice because either they’ll stay in the system and then I’m out, or I’ll make sure they’ll have a good home. You have to decide. This is your chance.”
The girls’ biological mother understood the gravity of the situation and trusted Kristin — trusted her enough to agree that her daughters would have a better childhood under the care of loving adoptive families.
“Can we handle this?” Chris asked her.
“We can handle this,” she told him.
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How Colts GM Chris Ballard and his wife, Kristin, saved four girls in need | @zkeefer https://t.co/ofvODKoJfj
— The Athletic NFL (@TheAthleticNFL) October 29, 2019
While the Ballard couple initially felt guilty over the thought of splitting the four siblings up, they knew that logistically and emotionally, they did not have the capacity to care for four girls with special needs in addition to their three bio kids.
In the end, Skylar and Angel were adopted into one family while Sunnie and Rainn were welcomed into the Ballard family.
While the transition was far from easy and fraught with pain, the Ballards know they made the right decision.
“Sometimes we worry about things that we can’t control,” Chris Ballard told host Wil Hampton on his podcast “Catholic Sports Weekly” in 2018.
In a transcript of the conversation made available to Colts.com, Ballard went on to explain how his faith in God played into their decision to adopt.
“You know, everything’s already been planned out for us anyways, and there’s always going to be change — there’s always going to be change in your life — but there’s one constant, and that’s God.
“God doesn’t change; God doesn’t change in his love for you and his direction for you, and you’ve got to keep that in perspective when things aren’t going your way or when things are changing around you, that is our solid ground that we can always stand upon.”
Kristin Ballard, the wife of #Colts GM Chris Ballard, got the call while she stood in line at HomeGoods. Four girls, raised in filth, around drugs and abuse, needed a home. She called her priest, nanny and then her husband. “Can we handle this?” he asked. https://t.co/rOkVBmmzRA pic.twitter.com/K9I9gQetvJ
— The Athletic Indiana (@TheAthleticIND) November 2, 2019
Chris and Kristin were unified in their decision to proceed with foster care and adoption. That unification proved vital to weathering the tough reality that is adoption.
“It was a great growth process for me and my wife to go through; it made our marriage stronger because we did have some tests,” Chris said. “But because we were able to overcome it and just followed what God’s plan was for us, I think we’re stronger today because of it.”
Many applaud Chris Ballard’s successes as a leader of the Colts organization. What most people don’t know is the remarkable PEOPLE Chris & his wife Kristin are.
Incredible work by @zkeefer that has me thinking, what more could I be doing for others?https://t.co/yKxjpss9GM
— Larra Overton (@LarraOverton) October 29, 2019
Chris also said that the adoption process has been impactful on his entire family.
“You know, being able to serve others and give to others, much is given, much is expected. And I’ll tell you, it’s been a great lesson for our children — and for Kristin and I,” he said.
“God gives us a bunch, but he expects more, and not everybody has had the advantages that we have had. I mean, we’ve been very blessed and fortunate, and God has given us a lot, and he expects us to give more back, and those lessons will stay with or children the rest of our lives.”
Chris spoke about the importance of self-sacrifice in an American culture that is typically very self-absorbed.
“You know, we learned a lot going through the foster process how many children (are) out there that need homes and need help and need guidance,” he said.
“And we have to be willing to give up ourselves. I mean, it’s gotta be more than just writing a check. You know, we have to be willing to sacrifice. I mean, lord knows God sacrificed for us so we would have these opportunities, and we’ve gotta be able to sacrifice ourselves.
“And I see that a little bit as a problem in our world today, is that we’ve all become so self-absorbed, to where it’s all about us and what can we get instead of what can we give and what difference can we make,” he said. “And when God gives us this platform and a chance to really make a difference, we have to take advantage of that.”
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