This time of year, most people reflect on all the things we have to be thankful for in life, but a local foster child named Abel will spend Thanksgiving without a family to call his own. But what he would be especially thankful for is finding a forever family.
You can tell a lot about a child by the way he plays a board game. And I quickly learned that 10-year-old Abel is polite and extremely gracious. He remains positive and doesn't mind losing.
"He wants you to do well. He wants you to be successful and for a kid who has, you know he lives in a group home where he doesn't have anybody to cheer him on, but he's cheering other people on," said Nicole Espinosa with San Diego County Adoptions.
Abel has been in foster care since he was three-years-old. And it breaks my heart to know the last two years have brought no change in Abel's daily routine.
"I usually, they wake me up, the staff, and then and then I go up, then I eat, and then I go to school," explained Abel. "Then I go back to the group home, and I usually sit there and watch TV."
There's little straying from the schedule and hardly any playdates with friends from school.
"I'm not allowed…sometimes when it's birthday parties," Abel continued.
And at the group home, Abel's quiet nature can make him an easy target.
"He gets picked on because he is such a good kid," said Espinosa. "I think the problem is he sometimes gets teased. He said one of the reasons he doesn't like living there is all the kids are not so nice to him and the foods not so good he said too."
Abel deserves a forever family and is long overdue. He is a self-motivated, fifth grader who gets A's and B's. So far, he's been successful in steering clear of negative peer pressure.
"I just do what I'm supposed to do, and I get good grades," Abel said. He also adds that he wants to go to college to be a scientist.
But what Abel needs now is a forever family to help him reach for the stars.
If you're interested in adopting or becoming a foster family, call 1-877- I-ADOPT-U.
And to meet other children in foster care and discover how you can help restore their hope, please click here.