family connection By Susan Grandpre  

Professionals who work in the field of foster care and adoption know that teenagers awaiting adoption need permanent families just as much as younger children need permanent families. These professionals also know all too well that it is more difficult to place a teenager than a younger child.
The reasons for this vary. First, it is often simply a numbers game: not enough foster parents and adoptive parents exist for all the kids who need them.
Many potential adoptive parents prefer to adopt younger children. Other parents considering adoption might be intimidated by taking on the responsibility for a teenager they do not know.
Regardless, many teenagers are awaiting adoption, one of whom is a 16-year-old named Phillip. Virginia One Church, One Child is an organization working on Phillip’s behalf to help find a permanent home for him.
One Church, One Child, founded in Illinois in 1980, is a national recruitment program working to match children awaiting adoption with adoptive parents. The goal of One Church, One Child is to match one family from each participating church with one child who is awaiting adoption.
Phillip is a smart boy and is looking ahead to college. As a good student, he enjoys all subjects in school. He likes sports and describes himself as a “sports enthusiast.” He likes martial arts as well. Phillip sees himself as someone who is “enthusiastic about life and who is predictable.”
Phillip is a kind and likeable boy who wants to be part of a permanent family. He possesses a peaceful and friendly personality. Sonya Peters, from Virginia One Church, One Child, comments that Phillip is “truly fun to be around.” She also notes that he responds to people who genuinely care for him and who want to guide him in a positive way.
Peters feels that Phillip would benefit from having a strong father figure in his life and is looking for this in potential adoptive families. Phillip would like to be adopted by a family that attends a Christian church.
Any family that considers adopting Phillip needs to be nurturing and dedicated to bringing out the best in him. An adoptive family must be ready to love him unconditionally and be willing to commit to him completely.
For more information about Phillip or other children awaiting adoption, contact Sonya Peters of Virginia One Church, One Child at (804) 329-3420.

Susan Grandpre earned a B.A. in English from James Madison University and has been a freelance writer for nine years. She lives in Richmond with her husband and three children.

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