Every single child should have a family that will love and protect them.
And they shouldn’t have to beg for that.
But 10-year-old Jerimiah, who lives in a group home, did.
“I’ll do anything for them,” he told KFOR of the family he hoped to one day have. “There would be a nice woman. There would be a nice husband. There would be nice kids. There would be pets.”
Jerimiah was put into the custody of Department of Human Services in Oklahoma City in 2015.
He now lives in a group home where he is having a rough time.
“I want to be adopted because I get beat up in my group home,” he said.
Jerimiah says he scared that he’ll still be in the group home by the time he’s 18 because then it will be too late for him to find a family that will love him.
“Cuz by the time I’m 18, I might not be adopted by then and I don’t want that to happen to me,” Jerimiah said. “And I don’t want to be in a group home until I’m 18.”
This sweet boy’s heartbreaking story captured the hearts of people from Chicago, to Mississippi, to Tennessee and New Zealand.
“He is a precious child and I am praying he gets that loving home he is seeking,” wrote Gina Hickman on social media, the news outlet reports.
“Is there a way for him to know how loved he is to keep his spirits up while waiting to be adopted?” asked Brandy Holmes.
And Jerimiah is hopeful that he’ll be adopted.
“I think I should be a nice love boy,” Jerimiah, who loves videos games, swimming and reading adventure stories, said.
Oklahoma DHS has been flooded with more than 2,000 calls since KFOR featured his story.
“His response has been staggering. We’ve had to get extra help just to manage all of the calls we’ve received about him. It’s just been amazing,” OKDHS spokesperson Casey White told KFOR.
The OKDHS are currently vetting families who are interesting Jerimiah.
“We’re going to continue to look for a forever family for Jerimiah. We hope some of these families who have called are already approved and then, if not, we’re just going to keep working to try and find him his forever home,” White said.
There are even out of state families who want to adopt Jerimiah but ultimately that will be up to Jerimiah.
That’s called an interstate adoption, and basically, families will need to get approved in their home state and then our states will work together,” said White. “Kids aren’t just thrown into the adoption. Definitely, their wishes and their desires have a huge impact on the final placement. We want these families to be successful.”
We’re hoping that Jerimiah is placed with a family soon but there are lots more children just like him who need a loving home.
Please contact OKDHS’ Tom Peterson at (405) 325-9398 for more information on Jerimiah and other OKDHS children.
You can also find information about being a foster parent at 1 (800) 376-9729. You can see how cute Jerimiah is for yourself in the video below.
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