A Family for Me: Alysa

JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) - Finding families for older kids is not easy.

“It is so important for these teenagers to get families,” said Jen Miller, an adoption specialist with the Arkansas Department of Human Services.

Teens in the foster care system need guidance about their future, just like any other teenager.

“This is the time where they’re really trying to figure out who they are where they belong and they need a family to go to them through that,” Miller said.

And even after they become young adults, they always need a family they can turn to.

“Sure, they’re only a few years away from being an adult… but, college kids need a place to go home for holidays…they need somebody they can call when they’re having a bad day …. these kids need it just as much as a little kids do,” Miller said.

For these reasons, we want you to lean in and meet Alysa.

Alysa is a smart, driven kid that has dreams and goals.

“She wants to be a fish and game warden and it’s rare to find a kid that it’s 15 and already knows exactly what they wanna do,” Miller said.

Not only is she driven to reach her goals as an adult, but she is doing awesome things as a kid.

“She’s very talented…she sings in the choir… she plays musical instruments…multiple musical instruments…does well in school…she’s a great kid,” Miller said.

When talking to Alysa about her future family, she just wants someone that is not going to judge her by what’s in her paperwork.

“None of our kids should be defined by their paperwork… And the older kids recognize that. That you know what’s on paper doesn’t really tell you what their personality is... It doesn’t tell you their capacity for love it doesn’t tell you their capacity for caring... It doesn’t tell you their capacity for anything... It just it’s... it’s words on a paper,” Miller said.

And that’s something anyone being called into adoption needs to realize. These kids have had a rough past and that past likely made them behave differently than other kids, but it’s nothing they can’t overcome with a little bit of love.

“And if you put the time and patience and love into these kids, these teenagers you’re going to get a great kid especially this one,” Miller said.

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