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Teen piano player looking for loving home
Next month is National Adoption Month, and we're featuring a teenager looking for his forever family! FOX 26's Sally MacDonald shares more about 15-year-old pianist Ethan.
HOUSTON - FOX 26 has a longstanding partnership with Depelchin Children's Center to find homes for children in the foster care system. For the month of October, anchor Sally MacDonald features a 15-year-old boy looking for a family to adopt him.
His caseworker says Ethan's talent, combined with his determination and gentle spirit, makes him a child who will deeply enrich the life of a family.
Teenagers are still children at heart who want a loving and supportive family to help them thrive. Ethan, 15, really shines when he plays the piano.
"Music is not only his passion, it is his way of expressing himself and inspiring those around him," says his caseworker Stacey Alleyne.
Meet Ethan
FOX 26 anchor Sally MacDonald was in the audience at his special pop-up concert at Kawai Piano Gallery on Richmond in southwest Houston.
"He does have some challenges; however what is so special about him is his gift for music," said Alleyne.
Ethan stands more than six feet tall, but is a very gentle giant.
"I just want everyone to know Ethan is special to me, and it would bring me immense pleasure to find a family willing to provide structure for him because he thrives on what is going to happen next," said Alleyne.
Ethan has been in foster care for the past four years, and now Depelchin Children's Center is looking to find him a forever home.
How to foster or adopt
What you can do:
It can take between three and six months to license a home.
To foster and adopt a child, prospective parents should meet the following minimum requirements:
- Be at least 21 years of age
- Be in good physical health
- Pass a criminal background check
- Be able to financially provide for a child
"We're focused on quality, so once a home is licensed, we want to make sure we're making a proper match for that child and family," said Megan Green, the Director of Foster Care Services for Depelchin.
Ethan would like to continue piano lessons and hopes to find a family who appreciates him for who he is.
"Ethan is gentle, he's thoughtful, he says these miraculous things that has us wondering. At the end of the day he's just looking for a family in which he can share love," said Alleyne.
Dig deeper:
Depelchin Children's Center says interested families start with an orientation, then a background check and home study before becoming a certified foster to adopt parent.
To adopt Ethan or any other child, visit this link: https://www.depelchin.org/prospective-parents/ or email gettingstarted@depelchin.org
The Source: Sally MacDonald interviewed Ethan's caseworker Stacey Alleyne.