abcnews.go.com
Producers of ‘The View’ flew Florida orphan, Davion Only, and his caseworker Connie Going (C), to New York for a chat with the show’s stars. It was Only’s first trip outside of Florida and his first time on a plane.
After spending his life in foster care, Florida orphan Davion Only might wake up this Christmas to a family of his own.
The 15-year-old’s adoption agency, Eckerd, had to hire a public relations firm to manage media requests after his heartfelt plea made the front page of the Tampa Bay Times and went on to garner international attention. More than 60 volunteers at the agency’s makeshift call center have fielded 10,000 adoption requests from around the world.
RELATED: GRANDMA RAISES MONEY TO ADOPT HER ORPHANED GRANDSON
Within the next month, Eckerd will sift through this pool to find 100 eligible families. They’re looking for people in Florida who have had experience with teens, who don’t have young children, and who have already done adoption home studies. Then, Only’s caseworker Connie Going will give the teenager a short list of 10.
Which means the choices Only makes this holiday season could change his life forever.
ABC
Davion Only stood up in front of a crowded church and asked for a family to call his own. His heartfelt plea has been answered by 10,000 people around the world.
RELATED: ORPHANED RUSSIAN ABANDONED BY ADOPTIVE PARENTS
He’s still trying to wrap his mind around the idea, surprised that “so many people actually want [him].”
All he wanted was a family who would love him “until [he] dies,”
RELATED: NEBRASKA SUPREME COURT: GIRL, 16, TOO IMMATURE TO GET ABORTION
“I just want people to love me for who I am and just to grab me and keep me in their house and love me no matter what,” the 15-year-old told ABC. “If you can, reach out and get me and love me until I die.”
ABC
Only shows an ABC reporter the bunk where he sleeps. He currently lives in a group home with 10 other teenage boys.
The young boy had never set foot on a plane or even left Florida before his story went viral. Only borrowed his mentor’s yellow sweater and dress shoes for a taping of “The View” in New York City. He felt nervous and slightly sick while the ladies asked him personal questions about his life.
RELATED: PARENTS SWAP ADOPTED KIDS ONLINE
When he was not on camera, he kept his eyes trained on something he could understand—his hand-held PlayStation. Going said she thought about pointing out New York’s skyscrapers and the bustling Times Square.
“But I needed him to feel safe,” she said. “This has all been so overwhelming.”
RELATED: FLORIDA ORPHAN FLOODED WITH ADOPTION REQUESTS AFTER HEARTFELT PUBLIC APPEAL
Melissa Lyttle/ZUMAPRESS.com
“I’ll take anyone,” Davion Only said during his speech at the St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church in St. Petersburg, Fla. “Old or young, dad or mom, black, white, purple. I don’t care. And I would be really appreciative. The best I could be.”
Only is no longer just another teenager looking for a family. He’s become something of a spokesperson for the more than 100,000 American kids who are currently in the foster care system. He even has his own URL: www.eckerd.org/davion.
Although he’s close to finding his own happy ending, Only is still looking out for his friends.
RELATED: FLORIDA ORPHAN GETS 10,000 ADOPTION REQUESTS AFTER PUBLIC PLEA
“I know what it’s like to have nobody, with no light at the end of the tunnel, no one who wants you,” Only saidl. “I just keep saying, ‘There’s only one me. But all my friends, all the other guys at the group home, all these other kids need families too.
“I just hope they don’t give up. And that someone gives them a chance.”’
For information about Davion Only, contact Eckerd. To learn more about foster children who need forever homes, visit the Heart Gallery of America.
On a mobile device? Click here to view the video.
http://newyork.greatlocalnews.info/?p=16410
via Great Local News: New York http://newyork.greatlocalnews.info
No comments:
Post a Comment