Wednesday's Child: 12-year-old Austin

(MARE) - Austin is a fun, energetic, and friendly boy. He has a huge heart and is such a genuine person. He is wise beyond his years and has a great memory. Austin has a creative imagination and is always coming up with stories involving dinosaurs and aliens. He loves to play with Legos and anything Spiderman. Austin is a talented artist and was able to draw a self-portrait that looked just like him.

At his current placement, Austin is always observed to have a big smile and is eager to say hello. He can strike up a conversation with anyone he meets and has a love for life. He can make friends quickly and is a positive influence and role model for his peers. If you meet him once you will always remember him! His Social Worker can speak from experience when she says she smiles so much when she is with him that her cheeks hurt. He has been given privileges at his current placement based on his positive behavior. Austin is currently in a public school and has made strides in his education with the support he is receiving.

Austin will do well in a family of any constellation with or without other children. He is looking for a family who will support him and provide consistent security, advocacy, and engagement. Austin will also need a family who is willing to help him maintain contact with his birth mother and brother.

For more information you can contact MARE: 617-964-MARE (6273) or visit www.mareinc.org.

Since its inception in 1981, Wednesday's Child has been a collaboration of the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE), the Department of Children & Families and WBZ-TV/CBS Boston. Hosted by Jack Williams for 34 years, this weekly series has given a face and voice to the children who wait the longest for families. Wednesday's Child has helped find homes for hundreds of waiting children and continues to raise awareness about adoption from foster care.