Camille's mother lost custody because she refused to get a divorce. Then her father was sentenced to five years in prison.

Thus began a little girl's journey through the system — a system that took her from foster care in Appalachia to a loving, adoptive home in Northern Kentucky.

Today, the fragile child is a vibrant 21-year-old studying social work and philosophy at Northern Kentucky University.

She never gave up on the system that formed her, and now she's back in it — as a champion for children like herself.

Her message: Come to the Northern Kentucky Adoption Fair on Nov. 10.

“There's a child for every couple out there,” Ms. Steiner says. “We can help you find a child.”

A shaken child

Camille was one of the lucky ones.

Every year, there are 50,000 cases of shaken-baby syndrome, and one of every four victims dies. Fewer than 10 percent of shaken children recover fully; the rest suffer from seizures, vision loss and other problems.

Camille didn't walk until she was 3. At 9, she finally learned to ride a bike, sort of.

In her hometown of Corbin, she was placed with two Franciscan nuns and a host of other foster children.

They always stood out, she says. Instead of parents, the nuns picked them up from school. At Christmas, they received garbage bags full of gifts from strangers.

But Camille was happy. She grew out of emotional troubles — fear of the dark, fear of being touched — and received physical therapy. Today, her only disability is a slight weakness on her right side.

In Corbin, she met Pat and Mary Steiner, who committed to adopting the little girl. They even moved to Northern Kentucky to create a stable household away from Camille's birth parents.

When she was 8, she joined the Steiners in Lakeside Park. Her new life was good, but for years, she desperately missed the nuns.

“You really have to listen to foster kids and be sensitive to them, because they're in turmoil,” Ms. Steiner says. “Some of them are so angry.”

She had a tough time at Dixie Heights High School, she says. But she blossomed in college.

As a social-work major, she puts in volunteer hours at the Diocesan Children's Home, which cares for foster children in Fort Mitchell. It's one of 30 agencies taking part in the Nov. 10 adoption fair.

Ms. Steiner is promoting the event, scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Syndicate in Newport. People considering adoption should call 331-2040 for more information

If you go, look for the cheerful young woman with the long blond hair. She will probably be using words like “beautiful” and “lovely.”

She also will tell you this about the youngsters in the photographs:

“With a little bit of patience and time, these children will be OK.”

You can trust Camille. She knows.

E-mail kgutierrez@enquirer.com or call (859) 578-5584.

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