A Family For Every Child
Heart Gallery
541-343-2856
877-343-2856
christy@afamilyforeverychild.org
Christy Obie~Barrett
Executive Director
880 Beltline Road
Springfield, OR 97477
fax 541-343-2866
OUR MISSION:
A Family For Every Child is
dedicated to finding loving,
permanent families for every
waiting foster child.
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Bulletin #12933
Kiersten is sweet and engaging 11 year old girl, who will strike up a conversation with anyone. Her talkative and friendly nature is an example of her resiliency and intelligence, but it is also an indicator that she needs to work on boundary issues. Kiersten has lived in her current foster care home for three years. She is very attached to her foster family and they are considering adopting her. Kiersten enjoys going to church, watching movies, family night at home, and special dinners out; just her and her foster mom. She had lived with several relatives prior to her current placement, but due to challenging behaviors and family complications, she was moved, at the request of the relatives.
She has four siblings (all in separate homes) with whom she has varying degrees of contact. It is hoped that this contact will continue after adoption, and that the adoptive resource will be open to honoring her past connections.
Kiersten is an avid reader and enjoys creating crafts and working on projects for others. She loves to please others and is generally outgoing and positive. However, the trauma associated with being removed from her bio-family and placed into foster care sometimes manifests in attention seeking and needy behavior, or in jealousy and competitiveness. When stressed, she may tattle, lie or have a temper tantrum, but with simple, clear and fair rules, and an abundance of 1on 1 attention, Kiersten thrives.
Kiersten has worked hard to deal with the loss of her bio family. She's made marked improvement in her behaviors and her social skills, and she responds very well to positive adult attention. However, she still struggles with anger and confusion. Her youngest sibling, born December 2008 remains in her mother's care, and Kiersten asks plainly, ''How come can she take care of a baby and not me?'' In addition, Kiersten has weekly phone visits and 4 supervised visits a year with her bio-father, so she has difficulty understanding why he can't care for her. Kiersten will likely need ongoing contact with her bio-family, especially her siblings. An adoptive family open to mediation is necessary to meet Kiersten's needs.
This beautiful girl will blossom in a family who can patiently support her through a difficult transition, offer clear and fair rules, and not give up on her. She says she very much wants to be adopted. She'd like ''a mom and a dad'' and she doesn't like really hot weather, but as long as they take her to church and are kind to her, she says she'll be fine. Kiersten will do well with younger or older children, as long as she gets the attention she needs to feel safe and loved.
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