More Than a Book, How 1 Cleveland Family Turned 50 Years of Foster Care Into a Powerful Legacy of Love
After 18 months of writing, reflection, and collaboration, award-winning author Dr. Michael Copeland celebrates the release of William and Jessie: A Special Tribute to a Loving Foster Home, a remarkable family anthology honoring the power of foster parenting, faith, and generational impact.
What if one home could change hundreds of lives? What if two ordinary people, without extraordinary wealth or resources, could create a legacy powerful enough to inspire generations?
In Cleveland, Ohio, William and Jessie Copeland did exactly that.
For more than 50 years, this remarkable couple opened their hearts and their home in Cleveland’s historic Mount Pleasant community to children who needed love, stability, encouragement, and a place to belong.
They did not seek recognition. They did not pursue fame. They simply believed that every child deserved to feel loved, valued, and protected.
Today, their extraordinary story is being preserved in a powerful new book, William and Jessie: A Special Tribute to a Loving Foster Home, written and compiled by their grandson, award-winning author, educator, and entrepreneur Dr. Michael Copeland.
Released in November 2026 in recognition of National Adoption Month and the Thanksgiving season, the book represents something far greater than a literary accomplishment.
It is the culmination of 18 months of labor, love, family collaboration, emotional reflection, and a determination to ensure that an extraordinary legacy is never forgotten.
A home that became a sanctuary for generations
Long before conversations about trauma-informed care, mentorship, and community-based family support became widespread, William and Jessie Copeland were putting these principles into practice.
Their journey began with humble roots in Nashville, Tennessee, before they relocated to Cleveland during the Great Migration.
They eventually established a home that became a sanctuary for children from different backgrounds and circumstances. Over the decades, hundreds of children experienced their compassion and care.
Their home was not simply a place where children stayed. It was a place where children were welcomed into the rhythms of family life.
There were home-cooked meals, family gatherings, church services, celebrations, life lessons, laughter, discipline, and the reassuring presence of adults who genuinely cared.
Many of the children who entered their home maintained relationships with the Copeland family long after their foster placements ended. Some continued visiting for holidays and special occasions. Others remained connected throughout adulthood.
For the Copelands, fostering was never simply about fulfilling a responsibility. It was about creating family.
Eighteen months of labor and love
As an educator, author, and founder of Copeland Consults LLC, Dr. Michael Copeland has dedicated much of his professional life to helping young people, strengthening families, and empowering aspiring authors. However, this particular publishing project carried a deeply personal meaning.
William and Jessie were his paternal grandparents. Their example helped shape his understanding of service, mentorship, compassion, and the responsibility adults have to invest in future generations.
For a year and a half, Dr. Copeland worked to bring together the voices of family members, former foster youth, and individuals whose lives were connected to his grandparents’ extraordinary journey.
The process required interviews, storytelling, writing, editing, revisiting childhood memories, and navigating the emotional responsibility of preserving family history.
Some contributors recalled joyful childhood experiences. Others reflected on difficult circumstances and the stability they discovered through loving relationships.
There were memories of Grandma Jessie’s kitchen, Grandpa William’s guidance, family celebrations, childhood friendships, and the many children who became part of the household.
Each story offered a different perspective. Together, they formed a powerful portrait of what love looks like when it becomes a lifelong commitment.
“This book has been one of the most meaningful projects of my life. I wanted to do more than tell my grandparents’ story. I wanted the people who experienced their love to have the opportunity to tell their own stories.”
From family members to first-time authors: A publishing journey with purpose
One of the most remarkable aspects of this project is that several family members and contributors stepped into the world of authorship for the first time.
Individuals who had never envisioned themselves writing a chapter for a published book began transforming personal memories into meaningful literary contributions.
For Dr. Copeland, this development became one of the most rewarding aspects of the entire experience.
Through his work as an author coach and publishing consultant, he has helped others discover the power of their voices. This time, he had the opportunity to bring that same encouragement directly into his own family.
The project demonstrated that authorship is not reserved for professional writers or individuals with literary credentials. Sometimes the most powerful stories come from ordinary people who have lived extraordinary experiences.
A first-time author does not need a perfect writing background. They need a story worth telling, the courage to share it, and someone who believes their voice matters.
The contributors to William and Jessie exemplify that truth.
Meet the voices behind the legacy
This book is especially meaningful because it brings together different generations and perspectives, allowing readers to understand William and Jessie’s impact through the people who knew them.
William Copeland Jr. – A son preserving his parents’ foundation
As the eldest son of William and Jessie, William Copeland Jr. provides an important connection to the family’s earliest years. His reflections highlight the values, sacrifices, and determination that shaped the Copeland household, offering readers an intimate look at the parents behind the extraordinary foster care legacy.
Terence Copeland – A son’s reflection on sacrifice and service
Terence Copeland, another son of William and Jessie and the father of Dr. Michael Copeland, shares his memories of growing up in a household where generosity and responsibility were part of everyday life. His perspective helps readers understand that foster parenting is a family commitment, influencing not only the children welcomed into a home but also the biological children who share that experience.
Reverend Kimberley Copeland – Faith, family, and the power of radical hospitality
Reverend Kimberley Copeland, Dr. Michael Copeland’s sister and a minister, yogi, and community wellness advocate, contributes a touching chapter titled Water Bread. Through memories of her grandmother’s homemade hot water cornbread, she explores how food, faith, and unconditional hospitality became expressions of love. Her chapter reminds readers that sometimes the most powerful lessons in compassion are taught around a kitchen table.
Kabira Fadzl – Preserving the relationships that connect generations
Kabira Fadzl brings a perspective rooted in family connections, resilience, and the importance of preserving meaningful relationships. Her contribution helps celebrate the bonds that extended beyond the walls of William and Jessie’s home and continued influencing lives across generations.
Tanisha Fadzl – A story of growth, perseverance, and purpose
Tanisha Fadzl shares a perspective shaped by childhood experiences and the lasting importance of family support. Now a mother, healthcare professional, and nursing student, she represents the possibilities that can emerge when children experience encouragement, stability, and belonging.
Pamela Malone – Proof that family extends beyond biology
Pamela Malone entered the Copeland home as an infant and developed a lasting relationship with William and Jessie. Even after leaving their care, her connection to the family continued. Her story demonstrates one of the book’s most powerful messages: foster care relationships do not always end when a placement concludes. Sometimes they become lifelong family bonds.
Brian Cunningham – A living legacy of foster care
Brian Cunningham offers the important perspective of a former foster youth who experienced the Copeland household personally. His story helps readers understand the lasting influence of a supportive home and the importance of relationships that extend beyond childhood. Through voices like Brian’s, the book moves beyond family remembrance and becomes a testament to the real-world impact of compassionate foster parenting.
Schwartzen Precil – A former foster youth offering a different perspective
Award-winning author, speaker, and publishing mentor Schwartzen Precil contributes a uniquely powerful perspective. Having spent fifteen years in New York City’s foster care system, Precil understands that not every child experiences a loving or stable foster home. Although he was not raised by William and Jessie, his contribution highlights why positive foster care experiences matter and how caring adults can help shape a young person’s future. His involvement adds an important dimension to the book by connecting the Copelands’ legacy to broader conversations about foster care, healing, resilience, and transformation.
Dr. Michael Copeland – A grandson determined to preserve a legacy
As the project’s author, editor, and driving force, Dr. Michael Copeland brings together these voices while sharing his own memories of growing up around his grandparents’ remarkable foster home. His work represents both a deeply personal family tribute and a continuation of his mission to empower others through education, mentorship, and authorship.
Together, these contributors have created something no single author could have accomplished alone: a multigenerational account of one family’s extraordinary commitment to loving others.
Why this book matters beyond the Copeland family
Although William and Jessie began as a family tribute, its message extends far beyond one household.
Across the United States, children and families continue to face challenges related to instability, separation, trauma, and access to supportive relationships. The need for compassionate foster parents, mentors, caregivers, and community advocates remains significant.
This book offers readers an opportunity to see the human side of foster care through personal stories rather than statistics alone. It celebrates the sacrifices of caregivers who often work quietly and without recognition. It also acknowledges the voices of former foster youth whose experiences deserve to be heard.
For prospective foster parents, the book offers inspiration. For current foster parents, it provides encouragement and recognition. For former foster youth, it reinforces the importance of their experiences and personal journeys.
For families, educators, social workers, faith leaders, and community organizations, it demonstrates the extraordinary impact that consistency, compassion, and belonging can have on a child’s life.
Perhaps most importantly, it reminds readers that making a difference does not always require an extraordinary platform. Sometimes it begins with an ordinary front door and the willingness to open it.
A Thanksgiving release with special meaning
The decision to release William and Jessie: A Special Tribute to a Loving Foster Home in November 2026 carries deep significance.
November is National Adoption Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about adoption and the importance of permanent, loving family relationships.
Although foster care and adoption are distinct experiences, both underscore the importance of stability, support, and belonging for children.
The Thanksgiving season also provides a meaningful opportunity to reflect on gratitude, family, sacrifice, and the people whose love has shaped our lives.
For Dr. Copeland, there could be no more appropriate time to introduce this tribute to the world.
After eighteen months of writing, collaboration, and emotional reflection, the family is preparing to share a story that has been more than fifty years in the making.
The release is intended not only to celebrate William and Jessie but also to encourage others to recognize the extraordinary contributions of foster parents and caregivers everywhere.
A legacy that cannot be measured in dollars
Success is often measured by financial achievement, professional recognition, or public influence. William and Jessie Copeland demonstrated another definition of success.
They measured their lives through service. They gave their time, resources, patience, and love to children who needed someone willing to care.
Their greatest accomplishments were not trophies or titles. They were the lives they helped shape. Their greatest inheritance was not material wealth. It was the love they passed from one generation to another.
Today, that inheritance lives through their children, grandchildren, former foster youth, and the many people who continue to carry their lessons forward.
Now, through the written word, their legacy will reach readers who never had the opportunity to meet them.
They did not simply open their home. They opened possibilities for generations.
Get your copy today: Help preserve a legacy of love
After eighteen months of dedication, storytelling, and collaboration, William and Jessie: A Special Tribute to a Loving Foster Home is ready to reach readers around the world.
This powerful anthology is more than a book. It is a celebration of family, faith, sacrifice, foster parenting, and the extraordinary difference two compassionate people made in the lives of generations.
By purchasing this book, readers are not simply discovering the story of William and Jessie Copeland. They are honoring the voices of family members and former foster youth who courageously shared their experiences, including several contributors who became first-time authors through this remarkable project.
We invite you to purchase a copy, share this story with your family and friends, and help us celebrate the legacy of two individuals whose love changed countless lives.
Purchase your copy on Amazon
William and Jessie: A Special Tribute to a Loving Foster Home by Dr. Michael Copeland and Contributing Authors. Amazon Purchase Link: https://a.co/d/06fJXtpW
Whether you are a foster parent, educator, social worker, mentor, faith leader, former foster youth, or someone who believes in the transformative power of unconditional love, this book has a message for you.
One home. More than fifty years of love. Generations of lives forever changed.
Their story deserves to be told. Their legacy deserves to be remembered.
About Dr. Michael Copeland
Dr. Michael Copeland is an award-winning author, educator, entrepreneur, speaker, and founder of Copeland Consults LLC, a publishing and consulting company dedicated to empowering aspiring authors and helping individuals transform their experiences into impactful books.
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, he has dedicated his career to education, youth development, mentorship, and community service.
His published works include The Journey of One Determined Educator, The Journey of One Determined Educator Part 2: Surviving the Trenches, Less Violence, More Mentoring, and Laid Off and I Don’t Know What to Do, among other titles.
Through his writing, publishing services, and educational initiatives, Dr. Copeland continues to advocate for storytelling as a powerful tool for healing, empowerment, personal growth, and generational impact.
Media contact
Dr. Michael Copeland
