Heart Gallery

 Child of the Month

http://www.afamilyforeverychild.org (541-343-2856)

880 Beltline Rd. Springfield, OR 97477 

A Family For Every Child

April 2010

Kailub, Age 10

Kailub2 

Meet Kailub, a friendly and charming 10 year-old boy with startling brown eyes accented with long eyelashes. Kailub is of medium build and is very healthy. He can crack a joke and make someone laugh at any time. Kailub's wit can light up a room and spark conversations with others well beyond his years. Kailub is very smart and witty but has the innocence of a boy who wants to know about the world and is open to new experiences.

Kailub spends his free time playing his Nintendo DS, taking care of his pet lizard Spencer, building amazing Lego creations and participating in gymnastics. In addition to gymnastics his other favorite physical activities include riding his bike and swimming. He has also played baseball in the past. Most recently Kailub has expressed a strong interest in learning to play the violin and having opportunities for growth through other artistic endeavors. Those around Kailub feel he has particular strengths in building and an engineering career awaits him in the future; however Kailub currently has his eyes set on a career as a pet store owner. Either way, opening the doors of possibility and exploration towards whatever he chooses to do or be in life will go a long way in ensuring success with this young man.

Kailub's greatest joy in life is taking care of his pet lizard Spencer. Kailub has developed a strong sense of responsibility in his care for Spencer. As of late Kailub has been particularly interested in learning how to breed lizards and would like to learn how to build an incubator at home for this purpose. Kailub has been reading vigorously on this topic and projects such as this would be a fantastic opportunity for Kailub to not only build on his knowledge of animals but to strengthen his relationship with his adoptive parents.

Kailub can be affectionate and caring with the people he knows and loves. His face lights up when he sees someone he cares about and he will offer hugs. He enjoys communicating with adults. Kailub is very inquisitive and likes to know all about the world around him.

Kailub is a hearty eater with favorite foods being spinach orange chicken, chicken legs, candy (of course) cheeseburgers, and especially corn bread. But beware, as asparagus, celery (not even with peanut butter he adds) and raw tomatoes are likely to elicit the ''eww!'' face from Kailub.

Kailub has been let down by many adults over the years and it may take time for him to feel completely safe and attached to an adoptive family. Kailub needs parents who are willing to take the time to work with him and advocate for him. Kailub will enjoy an active family to play games and go places with. He will need creative interventions for his behaviors especially in the area of pro-social communication skills.

 

 

Christopher 

 Age 10

Christopher 

Chris is searching to find the place where he belongs and is in need of a permanent family who can help him grow to his full potential. Chris has a medium build. He has short light blonde hair and light grey-blue eyes. Chris loves swimming, riding his bike, skateboarding, and anything Poke'mon. Chris is a huge fan of the L.A. Lakers basketball team and his favorite basketball player is Kobe Bryant. Chris has been through a lot of hardship in his early life and as a result, has some special needs. However, Chris is an intelligent, fun-loving, curious, and appealing little boy with the potential to grow into a wonderful young man if given the love and commitment that a permanent home can provide.

Chris has two younger half siblings, who are also in foster care. Chris lived with his younger brothers before they were removed from their mother's care. Chris has weekly therapeutic visits with his brothers in the therapist's office. Chris is bonded with his two brothers and it is very important to him that he continue this relationship once he is placed with his adoptive family. In addition to sibling contact, it would be beneficial to Chris if his adoptive family was open to maintaining some level of contact between Chris and his birth mother and maternal grandmother.

It will be important for Chris to have adoptive parents who have a good grasp of how past abuse, neglect and exposure to unsafe situations can impact a child's development, sense of well being, and trust. It will also be important for the family to have ongoing participation in therapeutic services to help Chris overcome emotional and behavioral hurdles. The family chosen to adopt this wonderful boy will need to be patient and capable of earning a child's trust, and will need to be able to allow Chris to bond and attach on his own individual timeline. A family that will reach out to Chris and express love and commitment, even when he is slow to express it back, will be able to help Chris the most. Parenting Christopher will be challenging, but will also be richly rewarding as he continues to grow and change.

Amare3

 Amara, Ethan, Jomie'lei 

 Ages 7, 3, 2

Sparkling eyes, charming smiles and beautiful singing voices! These adorable siblings need an adoptive placement that can capitalize on their strengths and interests as well as meet their unique and varied needs.

Amara is a beautiful girl who is tall and thin for her age. She is Caucasian and African-American. Amara is outgoing and chatty. She loves arts and crafts, coloring, puzzles, and anything where she can work with her hands. She has fallen in love with working in the garden. Her favorite animals are horses, pits, and worms. She is involved in Girl Scouts, church, Sunday school and her church choir. She and her siblings have beautiful singing voices and Amara has sung both a duet and a solo at church. Amara likes playing with dolls, basketball, running, and climbing. She is very social and likes to be around others. She enjoys spending time with the neighbors' horses. Her favorite colors are white, red, pink, blue, purple, and black. Amara likes to put together funky and fashionable outfits and beams when she is praised on her fashion choices.

Ethan is a handsome and sturdy preschooler who appears older than his age. Ethan has Hispanic, African-American, Caucasian, and Native American ancestry. He is noted for his bright smile and hearty laugh. Ethan likes to play out in the big backyard of his foster home on nice days. He rides scooters, little bikes, plays with sticks and rocks, swings, and climbs the play structure. Inside he can now sit through a movie and enjoys cartoons. He loves his farm set, dinosaurs, fire trucks and ambulances. At school he enjoys tactile toys like the rice table, puzzles, playdough, and flubber. He has started to engage in pretend play and likes to dress up like a cowboy or a ladybug. He enjoys physical attention and being cuddled by adults he trusts. Ethan, like his sister, has a beautiful singing voice and responds well to music.

Jomie'lei (pronounced Jaw-mee-lay) is an adorable little girl noted for her pretty smile, soft cheeks and great curls. She goes by the nickname Tuca. Jomie'lei is Ethan's full biological sibling and they share the same multi-racial ancestry. Jomie'lei is very fun-loving and gregarious. She has a happy temperament. She likes to climb and is very active. Like most toddlers, she loves to explore her environment. She LOVES shoes. Her foster parents have to put shoes out of her reach because she will find them and eventually put them on (often tracking mud on the carpets). She will say ''Dis my shoe-y, dat my shoe-y.'' She loves food and if someone has something to eat, she is their best friend and will flirt with them saying ''my bite?'' hoping they will share. She loves to color and will color longer than Amara. She can be distractible. She has a pretty singing voice like her siblings. She loves her foster father and is very much a daddy's girl.

The children have a good bond with their biological mother and enjoy spending time with her. They do not have relationships with their biological fathers. Their birth mother is currently working to have the children returned to her care but would likely be interested in mediation for some amount of openness with an adoptive family.

 

 

KimBreana 

 Kimberly and Breanna 

Ages 7 & 8

 

Meet Kimberly and Breanna, two energetic and fun girls who enjoy being silly. Kimberly, who goes by Kimmi or Kim, has short brown hair and beautiful dark brown eyes. She loves playing games, reading, and playing sports (soccer and basketball in particular). Breanna has large blue eyes and short brown hair with bangs. Breanna's interests include playing board and card games. She also enjoys being active and playing outside. Both girls love to eat sweets. Kimberly would select sugar cookies as her favorite food and Breanna specifically chose ''sugar on candy'' as her favorite food.

Kimberly and Breanna have a strong bond with their biological father, and were visiting with him on a regular basis both in the foster home and community prior to October of 2009. The girls also have a very good relationship with their paternal grandparents, who were visiting the girls on a weekly basis prior to October of 2009. Since the disruption, their biological father has sent them gifts for Christmas and their paternal grandparents have been writing to them on a regular basis as well as sending various holiday gifts. In person contact has not occurred yet due to the girls needing to stabilize but will be looked at in the near future. Ongoing contact of some form is recommended for the girls.

Kimberly is a very sweet child and tries hard to please people. She is usually happy and tries to be helpful to those around her. Kimberly is a social child and has numerous friends at school. She easily attaches to her caregivers and enjoys giving and receiving hugs.

Breanna is an energetic slender child who enjoys smiling. She has been noted to be affectionate and enjoys giving and receiving hugs.

Kimberly and Breanna will need to continue in therapy after they have transitioned to an adoptive home. They need an experienced family with a large amount of patience that is open to utilizing resources and following treatment provider suggestions. A family that is open to ongoing contact with the biological family will also benefit the girls. Kimberly and Breanna are two sweet and wonderful girls eager to be adopted by a family that is willing to commit to caring for the girls on a long term basis.

 

 

Family Support Meetings:

 

Daytime Meeting Adults Only (no childcare) at:

AFFEC 880 Beltline Rd. Springfield, OR 97477

 

May 19th: 11-12pm

 

Evening Meetings (Location TBA):

 

April 22nd: 6-8pm

 

May 13th: 6-8pm

 

May 27th: 6-8pm

 

We are currently looking for a space that both adults and children can meet in the same building. If you know of a location, please contact lisa@afamilyforeverychild.org

 

We Also ask that you RSVP so we can plan appropriately. We do have speakers lined up for some of these meetings, if you have a topic you would like more information on, please contact Lisa.

 

 

How can you contact A Family For Every Child?
Call, email, or visit us online or in person!


contactus880 Beltline Rd.
Springfield Oregon 97477

office - 541-343-2856
toll free - 877-343-2856
fax - 541-343-2866


Executive Director--Christy Obie-Barrett
info@afamilyforeverychild.org

 

A Family For Every Child | 4211 West 11th | Eugene | OR | 97402