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SALT LAKE CITY —Imagine growing up without parents or a permanent home to call your own. That's the reality for hundreds of children living in the Utah Foster Care System.
One of them is 17-year-old Jasmine.
"She's been through a lot in her life, and it's gotten to the point where it's just hard for her to trust people right off," said John Dahle, Jasmine's caseworker.
Jasmine struggled with opening up about why she wants to find a family.
"For her, believing that this can help her find a family just raises the stress level," Dahle said.
As hard as all this was for her, she wanted to do it if it means someone may adopt her.
"I don't know what a mom and dad is like," Jasmine said. "I haven't had one for eight years."
That's when she entered the Utah foster care system.
"I don't like any changes and moving place to place," she said.
Jasmine's struggles are the result of years of trials most of us could never imagine. Now, she's trying to imagine what her future could be like.
I want them to love me and I don't want to get abused anymore. I want to feel safe.
–Jasmine
"I want them to love me and I don't want to get abused anymore," she said. "I want to feel safe."
For now she is safe living in a group home, but she's craving the stability only a permanent home and loving family can bring. She worries she's too old to be adopted, but she's hoping someone out there will see her for who she is: a kind-hearted girl who loves to draw, dance, and hopefully be the missing piece in a forever family.
If you would like to learn more about Jasmine or the many other children hoping to be adopted, visit The Adoption Exchange website.
