Amy Wong-Martinez

Kendrick (b. June 2010) is a curious boy with a huge, infectious smile!  Kendrick loves to play video games and watch YouTube videos, and he is fairly tech-savvy.  He is also fascinated by cars and is knowledgeable about various makes and models — from their worth to their speed.  And while Kendrick benefits from reminders about personal hygiene, he does like picking out his own clothes and shoes in order to dress stylishly!

And while Kendrick can keep himself busy indoors, he also enjoys being active and playing outside. You can often find him riding his bicycle and running around. Kendrick has a great imagination and would do well in a family that is active and yet provides structure to daily routine. Kendrick does have an IEP to help him stay focused on schoolwork and to help with his mild speech delays. Kendrick can be easily influenced by others so conversations about safety are also important.

Kendrick loves animals and would love to have a family pet as part of his adoptive family.  Kendrick looks forward to being part of an adoptive family, sharing that he wants “to go to fun places and to be able to play and laugh with (them)”.  If you can picture Kendrick as part of your family, let us know.  We want to see Kendrick linked with the right adoptive family!

Photo Credit: Will Wong

Ottavio (October 2012) is a polite kid with an amiable personality!  Although he is initially shy, Ottavio becomes talkative and engages well with others, particularly when he receives some encouragement.  Ottavio enjoys all kinds of sports and plays both baseball and football on community teams.  Though generally quiet, Ottavio opens up with encouragement from teammates, responding to the social energy of others to come out of his shell.  Ottavio hasn’t decided yet what he wants to be when he grows up and would thrive in a family with adoptive siblings around his age or older.  Despite some mixed feelings about adoption, he is open to all family constellations.  Ottavio loves playing with the pet dogs in his foster home and is excited about the possibility of having pets as a part of his future forever family.  Photo Credit: Will Wong

Woodrow (b. July 2010) is a thoughtful and engaging young teen in foster care who is
earnestly seeking to be a part of a permanent family. He possesses a unique blend of
creativity and technical aptitude, particularly enjoying technology that merges sound and
visual editing.  Woodrow likes to read and is currently into competitive typing, something that reflects his dedication in developing new skills.

Woodrow is active and adventurous. He envisions a possible career pursuit of working for a government agency like the FBI, where he can leverage his intellect and technical
skills to make a difference. He seeks a nurturing family that would support his
interests and personal growth. Beyond the practical benefits of having a permanent
family, what Woodrow deeply desires is an inclusive environment where he is cherished
for who he is, rather than being merely monitored as part of the foster care system.

Woodrow describes himself as a kind person who makes a genuine effort to treat everyone he encounters with warmth and respect. His heartfelt request is simple yet powerful: he wishes to meet people who are willing to open their hearts and truly welcome him into their family. As Woodrow aptly states, “You’re never really going to get to know me until you actually go out and get to know me.”

Photo Credit: Peter Christiansen Valli

Victoria (b. April 2011) is an exceptionally creative young girl in foster care with a genuine passion for arts and crafts. She delights in making things and is deeply drawn to beauty and fashion – always eager to discover evolving aspects of her own unique style. With a flair for makeup, hair, and accessorizing, Victoria is fine with dressing up for any given occasion.

Victoria likes school, enjoying cycling class as well as leadership courses. Her enthusiasm for art classes comes as no surprise and one of her recent projects that excited her was crafting ribbon flowers, turning out some beautiful roses.

Though she may be a bit shy at first, Victoria’s charming personality quickly shines through and enables her to connect with others. Victoria has a heartfelt desire for a loving family, complete with pets! While she adores cats, her allergy makes having one a challenge; however, she dreams of having a pet dog. Victoria also envisions having adoptive siblings, perhaps a sister with whom she could share a bond as well as having fun times. Most importantly, Victoria is eager to find a welcoming family that is enthusiastic and ready to support her during her high school years and beyond!  Photo Credit: Will Wong

Emanuel (b. October 2014) is the oldest in this band of brothers.  Emanuel is an active young boy with a friendly smile who likes playing video games.  Emanuel also enjoys reading and can read a book in a short period of time.

Ismael (b. March 2016) has a colorful personality and prefers to be called “Isma”. Isma can do simple math and spell some words. Isma is engaging and empathic and does well around other children. One of Isma’s favorite activities is playing with LEGOS.

David (b. November 2018) is the youngest of this sibling set and is a playful little boy. David is smart and enjoys learning and he is receiving services to help with his expressive language skills.  David is full of energy and is into superheroes, with Spiderman being one of his favorites.

All three of these siblings enjoy playing outdoors and they all do well with pet animals.  All the children do fairly well in school and usually get along with each other and their peers.  If adding this band of brothers to your family resonates with you, please let us know — we are eager to hear that they’ve found their forever family!

Photo Credit: Akiko Liu

Joshua is a handsome young teen who was born towards the end of October 2010.  When describing Josh, people use adjectives like “sweet, smart, and creative”.  He has a pretty decent singing voice and is into drawing and doing origami.

At school, Joshua benefits from academic support that helps him stay focused and on-track.  He does best in a smaller school setting where he has individual attention. He’s also working on his peer-to-peer communication skills to avoid conflicts with his classmates.  As for extra-curricular activities, running track is something that suits Joshua.

In his free-time, Joshua enjoys playing with action figures such as Marvel Legends, reading graphic novels and watching television.  His favorite foods are pizza and ramen with hot sauce.  Joshua has some important connections established in the greater Los Angeles area and would like an adoptive family that would honor and support those connections.   If you can see Joshua joining your family table, please let us know.

Photo Credit: Peter Christiansen Valli

Alexander (b. March 2016) is sweet and caring child with a lively personality.  He is an active child who likes being outdoors – whether it’s going for walks or trying his hands (and feet) at basketball.  Alexander is a great talker and friendly with other kids.  He loves video games, word searches, toy cars, bubbles and arts &crafts using playdough.   At times Alexander struggles with regulating his emotions and will tantrum when he feels he is not being listened to or when he cannot get his feelings across.  Alexander benefits from structured environments which provide clear rules and boundaries.

Photo Credit: Peter Christiansen Valli