TGD 2022 Meet The Kids

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If he had three wishes, he’d want to be a superhero, to remain a kid forever and to own more toys. Christian’s dream career is becoming a video game designer. If you ask him what he’s most proud of, Christian says “spending time at the chapel,” and when he’s asked what he wants others to know about him, he says, “I am cool and funny.”

Some of Christian’s other favorite things include spaghetti, the colors gold, red and silver and cats and dogs.

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You could call him a well-rounded young man who likes Corvettes instead of Mustangs (“they look cooler”), summer over winter (“anything below 60 is too cold”) and green and white over maize and blue (“I’ve always been a Michigan State fan!”). “Football would be my favorite,” says this naturally easygoing guy. “I used to play for a team. I never actually played basketball on a team, but I’m pretty good at that. “I like fishing,” he says about his other favorite activities. “I used to go fishing up on a river. I’ve never been hunting, but I’ve always wanted to, though. I think I’d enjoy the relaxation part of it. I like reading, too. I’m reading a book called ‘The Institute.’ It’s starting off a little slow, but it’s getting more interesting.”

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“One of Madicen’s favorite animals is a horse”. When she’s not steering a steady steed, Madicen likes playing card and board games, listening to music and having family nights. She likes riding bikes, ice skating and rollerblading, and she enjoys playing volleyball. She’s also a creative girl who likes doing arts and crafts, and she enjoys cooking, singing and journaling. Madicen is a smart girl who excels in school with math being her favorite subject. Her favorite food is Subway and her favorite color is purple. When she gets older, Madicen wants to become a lawyer, and if she had three wishes, she’d want to have lunch from Subway, to have a good day and to have good dreams.

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“My favorite thing to do is read and write. I’m actually reading a lot of Pokémon because I really, really love Pokémon. I’m also writing a poem. “I love the Dog Man books, and I have all 10 of them. “I also like flamingoes. You want to know an interesting fact about flamingoes? The food that they eat is the reason why they’re pink. They eat a lot of shrimp.” As you probably can tell, Becca is a smart young lady who could make a family proud of her intellectual acuity. She would do best with a mom and dad in a family in which she’s the youngest child. Becca would fit in well with a forever family who loves game nights, and if you challenge her to a game of trivia, you’re bound to lose.

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Scarlett finds a creative outlet in her artwork. “I love to draw and color,” says Scarlett, who takes pride in her artwork as well as in appreciating the work of others. She says art is her favorite subject in school. Scarlett likes swimming, riding her bike, watching funny movies and spending time with friends.

She also enjoys participating in youth group. On her list of favorite things, Scarlett includes spaghetti for food, purple, blue and black for color and wolves, dogs and cats for animal. If she could travel anywhere, Scarlett would go to Japan and Belgium. “It’s where my ancestors came from,” she says. “I am learning Dutch and Japanese – self-taught.” Scarlett has another reason to visit Japan because it’s the birth place of anime, which she loves. In fact, she hopes her future forever family likes anime and other artistic endeavors.

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Calling Mandi a dandy seems quite trite since she’s such a great, gracious and gregarious girl. She’s described as caring, curious, social and active. Some of Mandi’s favorite things to do include swimming, dancing and participating in music therapy. She takes an interest in fashion and enjoys doing her own makeup. Mandi is a creative girl who likes doing arts and crafts and participating in dance classes. On the weekends, Mandi enjoys eating a hot breakfast, and after school, she likes watching TV. “Mandi has a great sense of humor,” says one of her adult acquaintances. “Mandi enjoys joking around and making friends. Mandi is a fun and loving child.” Mandi describes herself as “smart, sweet, funny, sassy, weird and kind hearted.”

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CeCe, aka Cecilia, plans to travel the four corners of the world … and a few curves and straight-aways along the way. “If I could visit one place on Earth, it would be all over the world,” explains CeCe, “because I want to learn about all the cultures and food.” After traveling, then comes Olive Garden, which is CeCe’s favorite food destination. She loves reading the Hunger Games book series, and she enjoys playing card games such as Apples to Apples and Uno. After playing games, CeCe will help tidy things up. “I like to clean everything,” says CeCe. “I am a neat, organized and clean person.”

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Marcus has a blueprint for fun, and it involves technology, toys and games. “Marcus enjoys handson activities,” says one of his close adults. “He can tell you all about robotics or Lego builds. He recently built a robotic arm and enjoys putting things together. He has plans to make his own video games, too.” Marcus likes playing games – especially the video variety – jumping on the trampoline and playing with dogs, playing on the tablet and playing with Nerf toys. Flag- and feline-lovers take note because Marcus likes the colors red, white and blue and cats as well as dogs. “Marcus is a very motivated youth and continually challenges himself to grow".

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Robert is an awesome child. He is described as wellmannered, responsible and “a pleasure to be around,” which all sound pretty awesome. Robert is an outgoing, determined, energetic and friendly child who communicates well with others and “has great common sense.” He’s active and engaged, too. “Robert loves being outside playing sports or riding his bike,” says one of his close acquaintances. ” He also likes playing basketball and football, especially with his friends. Robert also has an adventurous side, too. “One of his most admirable strengths is his desire to learn and try new things.” This loving, creative kid seems a natural success story once he gets older. Robert is a respectful young man who does best with understanding and patience.

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For his future, Matthew says he wishes for “a decent car and enough money so I can take care of my family.” Matthew is a down-to-earth young man who loves playing organized sports such as football, basketball and soccer. He enjoys playing catch and basketball with his friends, and he likes riding his bike. On the weekends, Matthew loves listening to music and getting up early to watch TV. When the hunger pangs ping, Matthew likes nothing better than chicken alfredo, burgers from McDonald’s or the entire menu at Taco Bell, his favorite restaurant. Matthew dreams of becoming a professional football or basketball player when he gets older. But number one on his wish list is a forever family who is active and loves the outdoors.

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Christopher loves watching movies, especially ones that tickle his ribs such as “Elf.” He also enjoys playing video games, particularly those involving another movie, “Toy Story.” He also enjoys spending time outdoors and swimming, riding his bike and playing sports such as basketball. Christopher enjoys anime and board games. Christopher also enjoys artistic activities such as painting, and he likes reading. Of all the holidays, Christopher enjoys Christmas the most. “I love to decorate the tree, get presents and celebrate Jesus' birthday,” he says.

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Myah is a bright teen with a great future. Her talent might be topped by her empathy for others. She wants to earn degrees in art, music, cosmetology and hairstyling so she can help the less fortunate with her knowledge and talent. “It softens my heart and hurts me a little because there are people who don’t have enough money to get clothing and other basic things. I want to take what I’ve learned and use it so people can get haircuts or so kids can learn how to play music. I think everyone needs to get that kind of respect that they deserve.” Myah certainly deserves and desires a new forever family. She would do best in a twoparent home with a male and female caregiver or two female caregivers. Her new parents should be able to provide structure and guidance.

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Having an outlet for her artistry is very important to Shiann. “She likes to express herself through her creativity,” says one of Shiann’s close adults. “She also enjoys art class and doing arts and crafts. Anything that allows Shiann to enjoy fun colors and express herself is key.” That includes her personal appearance. “Shiann loves to paint her nails, do her makeup and do her hair. She loves to experiment with fun colors, and you can often see her rocking some bright blue press on nails. Shiann loves when others support her, and she enjoys when people point out her fun nails, makeup and hair.” Shiann also loves dancing and cooking. One of her favorite activities is playing games on her tablet. “Shiann is a very loving and social girl who really opens up once you get to know her,” says an adult close to her. “She really just wants to be loved by a family who is dedicated to her.”

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Emma would be a natural to host a TV show about arts and crafts. She’d draw out the creativity of her viewers because she’s naturally creative herself. As a matter of fact, Emma dreams of owning her own art studio when she gets older. If there’s anything Emma likes as much as art, it could be the music of a certain pop/rock band. “She loves the band Imagine Dragons”. Emma also likes watching mystery movies and reading horror and animal books. She likes all animals, but she loves owls.

Katelyn

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One of Katelyn’s biggest interests is music. She loves singing and dancing. “Disney characters are my favorite.” In addition to singing and dancing, Katelyn’s other favorite activities include reading, watching anime and listening to music. Katelyn loves painting and drawing, and she has begun collecting snow globes. Katelyn also enjoys celebrating the holidays – especially Christmas and Thanksgiving – along with her birthday. Katelyn is quite family-oriented. “Katelyn would like to have a family who loves and supports her." Katelyn says she looks forward to doing fun things with her future forever family, but most importantly, she just wants to spend time with them.

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Domanic is a delightful young dude who’s eager to please.

“Domanic is kind, active, helpful, goofy and enjoys engaging with others”. Domanic delights in playing sports, especially football and basketball, which is his favorite game. “Domanic is creative and likes drawing, designing and painting,”. He enjoys spending time outdoors and likes climbing trees and going for walks along the creek where he lives. Domanic says playing games and sports with his friends is his favorite thing to do after school. He takes pride in himself and his good behavior. Domanic says his dream destination is the beach and the ocean, and his dream career involves helping youth in foster care.

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Austin is a go-get-‘em kind of guy who rarely sits still, and when you happen on something that really piques his interest, you’ll have his full attention. True to his adventuresome nature, Austin enjoys exploring the outdoors and being active. “Whether it's camping, hiking or riding his bike, he is always up for an adventure,” says one of his close adults. Austin enjoys most sports but takes a special shine to basketball, which he likes playing after school and on weekends. Austin says horses are his favorite animal. Austin’s list of favorite things includes playing racing videos and munching on pizza. Austin likes the colors red, black, silver and gold, and his favorite holidays are birthdays and Christmas.

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If you check out his In-Depth Profile, you’ll catch a video of Jayvion showcasing his culinary skills, which is something he wants to do with a future forever family. Jayvion’s love of food doesn’t stop with ice cream. His favorite foods include pizza, steak and pork chops, and he’d enjoy washing it down with a Faygo root beer, if you please. When he gets older, Jayvion wants to create his own cooking show.

Jayvion

Lilyana

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Lily, as Lilyana prefers, makes her mark by being stylish. “She loves all that is fashion”. Lily also makes her mark athletically and creatively. She loves participating in volleyball, basketball and softball. On the creative side, Lily likes singing, dancing and listening to music. Lily plans to make it in the future by becoming a criminal justice lawyer because, after all, she takes the most pride in “who I am growing up to be.” In the future, Lily wants to travel to Disney World “because I heard it is fun,” and “I want to get a family.” Lily wants a caring forever family, and she’d love to go shopping and traveling with them.

Keaton is one of the most remarkable kids I have ever met. Particularly one that has been in the system as long as he has. He is kind, confident and incredibly well adjusted. Keaton says kids in school often judge him for being in foster care and they pick on him thinking he is weak. But he says, they are just words. He says it is all about coping, growing and being better. When Keaton grows up he wants to go to trade school for mechanics. He said that the only family member he was ever close to (his uncle) was a mechanic. His uncle has since passed, but he looks forward to keeping that connection with him. Keaton's future family (from his own words) should care, love and look out for you. They should protect you and treat you like a real family member.