There are more than 700 children who are ready for adoption in Virginia. They are ready to find a permanent and loving forever family. 10 News is profiling one child who needs a home every day during the hours of 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. in 30 Days of Hope. The children are all ages and races and were put into foster care due to no fault of their own. 2022 marks the sixth year 10 News is doing this series.
John likes to color and just had a birthday. He got a bike! It was the first time he ever rode a bike.
“He does so well. There’s no fear within him. He looks so incredibly free and happy riding the bike and that’s a great thing to see,” said Cat Dennis, a Bedford County DSS Family Services Specialist who has known him for years. “His laughter and his smile are so contagious. He’s had a really rough past and a really rough growing up, however, he is such a delight to be around.”
She said he likes playing jokes and helping out.
“He wants to be a part of and contribute to his peers and his staff that support him right now. He is always asking what he can do to help and just being a great support,” said Dennis. “In his heart of hearts, he is a 12-year-old kid just looking for a place to belong.”
“Why not? Honestly, why not?” Dennis said when we asked her why people should consider being foster or adoptive parents. “Every child deserves that family and are worthy of a loving, caring, and safe home.”
He needs to be an only child in the home due to the amount of support he’ll need. Dennis said a two-parent family would be great for John.
“It would be ideal for one of those parents to be a stay-at-home parent. John has not had the opportunity to live in a family environment where he has been supported or taught skills to live. He struggles in school due to that lack of structure and lack of guidance. So someone with a lot of patience and someone who has support themselves,” she said.
If you have questions about John or foster care/adoption, contact VDSS Division of Family Services Adoption Recruitment Coordinator, at adoptioninquiries@dss.virginia.gov.
To see other 30 Days of Hope stories visit us here.
We also have a list of frequently asked questions about foster care and adoption including the qualifications, cost, and training required in this link.