There are more than 750 children who are ready for adoption in Virginia. They are ready to find a permanent and loving forever family. 10 News is sharing the stories of one child who needs a home every day in November in 30 Days of Hope. The children are of all ages and races and were put into foster care due to no fault of their own. 2023 marks the seventh year 10 News is doing this series.
Breanna is a social butterfly with a beautiful smile and kind eyes.
“I want to belong in a family because I just want to be cared for. I feel like sometimes I feel hopeless, that nobody cares, but if I’m around certain people, I know I’m not alone, and I know people care. It just takes me a little bit to know them, talk to them, to get to that spot,” said the 16-year-old.
She said honesty and being truthful are important to her in any relationship
“I would describe a family as dedicated to knowing what they want, so they don’t just start going for someone and then they back out at the last second. I think in a family, I would want them to be encouraging and not willing to give up so fast. I feel like a lot of times parents, or anyone, they just lose hope in someone very fast because of their background.”
She would like to go on adventures with a family—walks, hikes, play outside—not just sit at the house.
Bre enjoys reading and likes to run cross country. She has a great sense of humor and is very communicative. She is empathetic toward others, patient and determined and has the potential to be a great leader and support others who are going through similar situations.
“I think most of the time my friends would describe me as energetic or outgoing because I’m always trying to make someone laugh. Sometimes people have a bad day, and I know how it is to be in that place, so I feel like everyone should have a friend or someone who cares about them. It shouldn’t matter how they look or their skin color.”
Her favorite holiday is Thanksgiving because she says, “It’s a time where we can all share and be with our families and share what we’re grateful and thankful for. This year, what I was thankful for was having a roof over my head and being able to be in a good school and getting things done that need to be done.”
She likes to be around people and stay active in the community. She wants to be a nurse practitioner, as it runs in the family. Her grandmother and aunt both worked as nurses.
Bre hopes her adoptive parents will be present and engaged, interested and dedicated. Could you be the family that Bre is looking for?
There are about 5,000 children in Virginia’s foster care program and more than 750 of those children can be adopted. If you have questions about foster care/adoption, contact the VDSS Division of Family Services Adoption Recruitment Coordinator, at adoptioninquiries@dss.virginia.gov.
You can see more about Breanna here. I Belong Project™ videos are a project of Virginia’s Kids Belong in cooperation with America’s Kids Belong.
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.