LYNCHBURG, Va. – 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.
Madison is 13 years old and likes to go by Maddie. She loves animals, especially cats.
She visited Seaquest in Lynchburg with us, getting a special tour and hanging out with some of the animals.
The 13-year-old is good in school and likes PE and math, especially algebra.
“My favorite music is K-Pop. I like Korean pop music, country, Spanish, all types of music,” she said.
She wants to be a fashion designer when she grows up, making things “no one has ever witnessed or seen before.”
“She’s quite the girly girl. She loves fashion. She loves makeup; she loves all things girly, but she’s also very dedicated,” said Lauren Powell, who works for the Franklin County Department of Social Services and added that the teen works really hard.
“I think she would do well with just a family that’s got boundaries and able to set rules, but also really able to provide that loving attention that I think she really craves and to be able to dedicate their time to her so that she knows that she’s not alone.”
Maddie wanted everyone to know this about foster care, “It’s hard when you first get there because of the experience you’ve been through, but just know, as a foster child, for me, it has been the best experience that I’ve probably ever been in because I learned so many things from being in foster care.”
Powell said having an adoptive family is important.
“Can you imagine not only being a kid but having to go through life without a person, without an actual place to call home and to be able to call these people your family? How do you expect them to grow up into adults if they don’t even have a role model to look up to now? It makes it pretty difficult,” said Powell.
You might be the teen’s perfect family, giving her the permanency every child deserves.
“I’ll actually be loved, and I won’t have to worry about going from placement to placement,” said Maddie.
Maddie loves nature, enjoying the world and spending time with family. She would like to visit Korea.
If you have questions about Maddie 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.