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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — If you’ve been watching FOX4 for decades, you may remember a segment from the 1980s and ’90s called Thursday’s Child.

We met with foster kids in the metro who wanted to find a family, and now we’re bringing it back.

Each month, FOX4’s Sherae Honeycutt will introduce to you to kids and teens in our community who are hoping to meet people they may one day call their parents.

In Jackson County there are dozens of kids and teens waiting to find a family.

This month we want to introduce you to 15-year-old Spirit, 10-year-old Angel and 6-year-old Dez. They hope someone out there will want to love them forever.

We spent the day with the kids at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art’s “Art Course” where they lived up to their names.

The siblings have been in and out of foster care for nearly 10 years, which means for some of them that’s most or all of their lives. They’re ready to find a family that will be their biggest fans.

Spirit just started her freshmen year of high school and loves to run track and field.

“I’m bored or I don’t have anything to do, I just go out and I start running. It keeps me in a good spirit,” Spirit said.

Photo courtesy Rebecca Lassiter Photography

However, her favorite thing to do is to keep people smiling, especially her siblings and classmates.

“I tell them don’t give up,” Spirit said. “Keep trying. I help people when they fall or when they have low self esteem or they don’t have encouragement or anything or when they’re sad. I’ll go to them and tell them everything will be OK.”

She thinks school is challenging but loves to learn, and good grades are important to her. She said she’s happiest when she’s at school. When she grows up, she wants to own her own business and hopes to run track and field in college.

Angel is in the fifth grade. She loves to talk and play, but what she loves most is to cook — especially mac n’ cheese.

“A lot of cheese, and don’t put a lot of milk in it,” Angel said.

She said someday she wants to not only be a chef, but own a 17-story food hall.

“One floor is going to have all meats; another floor is going to have all vegetables; another floor is going to have all fruits; another floor is going to have all drinks,” Angel said. “Oh, we’re going to have to have two floors for the drinks.”

“She has so much confidence in her,” Spirit said. “I feel like she should keep that in her for the rest of her life.”

She loves to go to restaurants and try all kinds of food. Angel also likes to be creative and make up her own recipes. She said she’s happiest when she’s in the kitchen.

Her favorite subject in school is reading, and she’s proud of her grades in school.

Photo courtesy Rebecca Lassiter Photography

Dez just started the first grade. He loves to talk and joke with his sisters. He wants to be a pastor someday when he grows up and loves going to church.

He likes to play with toys — especially the drums. He loves to learn and his favorite subject is math. He’s working on addition right now.

They also have an older sister who’s getting ready to start college and wouldn’t be adopted, but will be part of the children’s lives.

The kids would like parents that are kind people who would support them in the things they like to do and help them experience life.

For Spirit, someone who could support her emotionally as she grows up and cheer her on from the sidelines at her track meets. For Angel, someone who would cook with her and have fun in the kitchen. And for Dez, someone who will help him grow and love him unconditionally.

They hope to be adopted together and stay in the metro area.

“I don’t want them to go through the same things that we did. I want them to have a better life than we did when we were little,” Spirit said. “I want them to be able to go to school and say I have a mom and dad. Don’t be sad and say I don’t have a mom and dad.”

Thank you for supporting Thursday’s Child because all children deserve a family.

Want to adopt them?

If you’re interested in learning more about how to adopt these kids, or would like to contribute to their “One Small Wish,” please get in touch with Megan Fisher, the Adoption Coordinator for Jackson County at 816-889-2144.

“One Small Wish”

Each month we grant “One Small Wish” to say thank you to the kids for opening up their hearts to us. For August, Worlds of Fun sent them tickets to enjoy a day at their park this fall.

Interested in becoming a foster or adoptive parent in Missouri?

  • Cornerstones of Care specializes in Standard and Career Foster Licenses at  1-855-SRV-KIDS (855-778-5437) or visit their website.
  • Crittenton Children’s Center (Saint Lukes) focuses on medical homes, homes that can accommodate sibling groups, and homes for older youth (age 12 and up).
    • If you are interested in learning more about this organization please reach out to Virginia Fatseas at (816) 986-5209
  • Missouri Alliance offers elevated needs training (Level A & B) to our Resource Families.  They also train our foster parents in TBRI (Trust Based Relational Intervention) as well as SOS (Signs of Safety).
    • If you are interested in learning more about this organization please reach out to Karie Scott-Roark email: KRoark@MA-CF.org.
  • Great Circle Behavioral Health for Children & Families does foster care licensing for prospective foster parents.
    • If you are interested in learning more about this organization please reach out to Jaqueline Brown at (816) 255-1503 or Jacqueline.Brown@greatcircle.org

Interested in becoming a foster or adoptive parent in Kansas?

Want to see more children who are looking for a family?

Want to become a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for foster children in the metro?

According to CASA’s website, a court appointed special advocate make a life-changing different for children who have experienced abuse or neglect. Each volunteer is appointed by a judge to advocate for a child’s best interest in court.

Their volunteers help judges develop a fuller picture of each child’s life. Their advocacy enables judges to make the most well-informed decision for each child.

Missouri

Kansas

Want to reach out to Sherae?

For business inquiries or questions that are unable to be answered through this article, you can reach out to Sherae Honeycutt, the host of Thursday’s Child, by email at sherae.honeycutt@fox4kc.com.