Joel (photo credit Kelly Paquet)
Joel is a sweet and sensitive twelve-year old boy of Hispanic descent who can speak both Spanish and English. Joel has shared he would like a family that has a pet, preferably a dog. Joel likes helping to care for animals and he is described as polite and helpful. Joel enjoys playing basketball and looks up to Michael Jordan because “he won so many trophies and had good sportsmanship and teamwork.” Joel also enjoys learning about magic, playing chess, watching movies, and reading books. Joel would like to be a Marine when he grows up as he would like to help his nation.
Joel is currently in the seventh grade and he does well with the frequent breaks and small groups in his classroom. He is described at school as being very friendly and helpful. Joel says his favorite subject in school right now is math because he is learning about long equations with exponents and parenthesis. If Joel had three wishes he would wish to be the richest person in the world, stop world hunger and to be a Marine.
Joel will need a family open to maintaining contact with his maternal grandmother . His worker feels he would do best in a single or two parent home with older, similar age, or no children. If a family had prior parenting experience that would be ideal, however his worker is open to exploring families that have not yet parented before.
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 Joel, 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.”
