While in Utah, Van Noy met a beauty queen.

Marissa Powell represented the Beehive State in 2013's Miss USA pageant, finishing as the third runner-up. On one of their first dates, she asked him to share an obscure fact about himself. When he revealed that he was adopted as a baby, "She was like, 'Oh, my dad and brother are, too.' So, it was cool," Van Noy remembers. "It's a great thing. Their family's great. Her little brother is just like her real brother."

That shared life experience only strengthened their bond. In 2014, the couple started a joint charitable venture, dubbed the Van Noy Valor Foundation. The organization's goal, he explains, is "a little bit of everything," including removing the stigma that many adopted children feel and encouraging them that it's not something of which they should ever be ashamed. The foundation also helps facilitate foster care and adoptions.

"Not everyone has a perfect relationship [with their parents], and that's OK, but make the most of that situation," Van Noy suggests. "We're just trying to set them up for success in whatever it is they're trying to do. Hopefully, we'll be able to give kids college grants to go to school. That's our end goal."

Among the events they host is a backpack giveaway for school-aged kids and a Christmas tree giveaway around the holidays, which makes Van Noy nostalgic for his own childhood.

"We want to give kids that may not have had a Christmas a chance to enjoy the holidays, open up presents, and enjoy holiday cheer. At the end of the day, if it gives them a smile, and they get to build a relationship with me and my wife, I think that's a win, because they're able to see people that have gone through [adoption] and know how it is."