Sunday’s Child is a weekly column featuring a child currently in foster care awaiting adoption.
Mark is an athletic eleven-year-old boy of Caucasian descent. Mark does well in school and he is said to enjoy his classes. Mark shares that his favorite class is health and wellness, but he is also interested in science.
Mark is described as outgoing and talkative. He is said to be able to have a conversation with anyone! He especially likes to talk about the NBA and NFL. He likes to be outdoors playing sports, but he can also sit down and play board games, too. When outdoors, Mark likes to either be playing a sport like basketball or football or searching for bugs, salamanders, and frogs.
Mark does well in group settings, but also likes one-on-one attention. Mark has done well in his structured program and especially likes it when he gets to play basketball or a board game with a staff member one-on-one. Mark thinks in the future he may become a park ranger or maybe a veterinarian because he loves animals.
A future family should be open to maintaining contact with Mark’s three siblings. Mark’s social worker recommends a two-parent home or a single parent that has support that is able to help redirect him as needed. Mark thrives on structure and routine and does best when he is able to anticipate changes.
Mark shared he would like a family that is active and would allow him to play sports.
How do I adopt a child from foster care?
To adopt a child from foster care, you must go through a training, interview, and matching process. To begin, call the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE), for referrals to agencies in your area. After submitting an initial application, a social worker will meet with you, then refer you for the Massachusetts Approach to Partnerships in Parenting (MAPP) training. After completing the MAPP course, you’ll have meetings with a social worker who will conduct your “homestudy’’ to explore adoption possibilities with you and begin to match you with a waiting child. It’s important to balance patience with persistence to make a match that will build a lifelong family.
To learn more about Mark, and about adoption from foster care, call the MARE at 617-54- ADOPT (617-542-3678) or visit www.mareinc.org. The sooner you call, the sooner a waiting child will have “a permanent place to call home.’’
