Mark and Michelle are a brother and a sister who need a permanent home.
Mark, 9, born June 1, 1987, is an active boy who enjoys sports. Like many children whose lives have been filled with abuse and neglect, he hasn't been able to dream about what he wants to be when he grows up.As a third-grader this year, Mark gets extra help from the resource room and receives speech therapy and help with reading. He's a visual learner who does best with a hands-on approach. He does well in math but has difficulty with reading and language.
Mark has been in one foster home since the summer of 1992. He still feels a great deal of sadness about losing his birth family and will take some time to trust new parents. Mark is polite and respectful. He tries hard to please, is affectionate and responds well to praise.
He can be bossy and has wide mood swings but isn't a behavior problem at this point. Mark does need help with his social skills so that he can do better with other children. Individual therapy is helping.
Michelle, 7, born March 8, 1989, is a busy little girl who enjoys playing with dolls, toys and games. She likes to play cards and is always eager to read or have someone read to her. She's also athletic and enjoys sports.
Due to learning disabilities and delays in speech and language skills, Michelle needs extra help from the resource room teacher and receives speech and language therapy daily at school. She is very active and easily distracted so is being evaluated to see if medication for attention deficit hyperactive disorder would be helpful.
Michelle is slow to warm up to people, though she is becoming more and more attached to her foster mother of four years. She is socially immature, a bit insecure and self-conscious, so she doesn't do well with kids her age. However, like Mark, she's not a behavior problem except for the distractibility at school.
An African-American, two-parent family or single mother is needed. Mark and Michelle want to stay in touch with their two sisters, Jessica and Nicole.
Financial assistance for adoption costs and medical and mental health care is available.