For someone so young, Jason — who loves the outdoors — is known to be polite, kind, and thoughtful.

“Jason is a boy who truly takes the feelings and preferences of others into consideration,” his worker says. “If I ask him if he wants to play cards, before he answers he always asks me if I want to play. And he will do kind things. Once, when we were playing war and I was losing, he gave me some of his cards. He’s very sweet and generous. He once gave me some rocks from his special collection.”

Jason is also brave.

“Once, when I was with Jason,” recalls his worker, “he noticed one of the dogs playing with a praying mantis. The insect had gotten hurt and, despite his fear, Jason picked it up with a stick and moved it to an area where the dogs could not harm it anymore.

“Another time, I visited Jason when he was having a really bad day. He quickly pulled himself together and managed to put a smile on his face that was still red and wet from tears.”

Jason enjoys school, especially math and science.

“Science is cool,” he says. “We get to do all kinds of experiments. And I like math because I’m good at it.

“I’m also a good friend. I’m nice and have lots of friends. If someone gets hurt, I help him.”

Jason likes video and card games, especially War and Uno. But he definitely prefers to be outdoors, riding his bike, jumping on a trampoline, and playing football, soccer, and basketball with his friends. He is proud that he recently climbed a rock wall. And he loves camping!

He also likes to cook and has a passion for food.

“We make all kinds of food! Like, for lunch, we made tacos. I’d like to go to Mexico sometime because it’s always warm there and there’s delicious food everywhere.”

But what Jason would like most of all is to be adopted by a forever family.

He summarizes, “A family is people that are your parents who take care of you and are nice to you.”

Jason looks forward to being with a family that likes to eat, go shopping, play baseball together, and (of course) go camping.

“Jason is caring and friendly and loves to help around the house,” says his worker. He really wants to find a forever family. He would do best with two experienced parents who would be fierce advocates for the services that are helping him to excel.

“Jason will need a family that is patient and understanding. He enjoys encouragement, and a family that is willing to encourage Jason and approach him with kindness would be the best fit for him. Overall, patience and commitment will be the key components to creating an environment in which Jason can thrive.”

For more information about adoption, fostering or mentoring, contact Orchard’s Children’s Services at 855-694-7301.