NEWNAN, Ga. — Three children, facing Christmas without their mother for the first time in their lives, are haunted by the mystery of what happened to her.
Tiffany Foster disappeared this past March in Coweta County, after leaving home for the grocery store.
But now her children are finding out that, even without her, they are not alone.
“When Tiffany came up missing, it just captured my focus,” said Newnan resident Carolyn Adams, at first because her own daughter is 35 years old - the same age as Tiffany.
Then Adams began to learn about the details of Tiffany's disappearance, and about the family left behind. And she began to identify with Tiffany, professionally, since Tiffany was weeks away from earning her college degree in criminal justice, with plans to begin a career in law enforcement. Adams is retired military, and said she appreciates Tiffany's dedication to public service.
She knew she had to give of herself, to help Tiffany’s three children, somehow.
Investigators have not charged anyone, yet, in Tiffany’s disappearance, but they have arrested her fiancé on other charges, and while they’ve been holding him, they say he has not been talking.
And it’s all been breaking Carolyn Adams’ heart.
“The Lord just put in my spirit to do something for her children," she said.
So a week ago Sunday, Dec. 5, Adams contacted her friends across Coweta County on social media with her idea for a Christmas gift drive for Tiffany’s children that she is calling, “Christmas at Tiffany’s.”
“I know the only thing that her children really would like is to have their mother back,” Adams said. “But we can do something to try to brighten their spirits, at this time of the year, because I know it’s tough.”
Communities across Newnan and Coweta County have been brought to their knees because of the tornado this past March, and people are still struggling to recover.
Who has any money to give to anyone else?
Adams had faith in her community.
“We’ve had people say that, 'I don’t have much, but I can give you what I have.' As a community, I believe we are even stronger, we’re stronger now than ever before," she said.
And she has already almost reached her goal: to present each of Tiffany’s children, next week, with a gift card worth hundreds of dollars each.
Tiffany’s mother, Katrina Hill, said she has no words to thank Adams - and everyone who has been contributing - properly.
“I thought it was so heart-touching,” Hill said. “And it was a blessing, you know, that we still have people out here that cares about people. We’re very grateful and thankful that she was able to do this for us.”
Carolyn Adams set up a Christmas tree on her front porch in Tiffany’s honor, with special ornaments she had made that read, “Bring Tiffany Home.”
She has invited Tiffany’s mother and Tiffany's children to her home next week to see the tree, and to receive the support of a hurting community that is always quick to help their neighbors, to ease their loss.
“And just pray,” Adams said, “that God will bring their mother home.”
Carolyn Adams began her gift drive by asking people who know her to contribute, and because of those relationships of personal trust she has been able to use her personal accounts for the donations on behalf of Tiffany Foster’s children.
Adams is pledging that 100 percent of the donations will go to Tiffany's children for Christmas, and if there is any extra she said the money will go toward the children's ongoing needs, now that they are dependent on other family members, not their mother, for their support.
Adams said she will stop taking donations on Dec. 23. For anyone wanting to know where her friends, and others now, have been contributing, the accounts are Cash App $CLA6820, and PayPal @cadams5912.