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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — If you’ve been watching FOX4 for decades, you may remember a segment from the 1980s and ’90s called Thursday’s Child.

We met with foster kids in the metro who wanted to find a family, and now we’re bringing it back.

Each month, FOX4’s Sherae Honeycutt will introduce to you to kids and teens in our community who are hoping to meet people they may one day call their parents.

In Jackson County there are dozens of kids and teens waiting to find a family.

This month, we want you to meet four siblings: Mikaya, 11, Jalisha, 13, Marcus, 17, and Breitneie, 19. They’re looking for the loving and stable parents they believe could change their life.

We met the siblings at Main Event in North Kansas City where they were ready to work on their high scores and have a little fun.

All four say more than any prize they could ever win, the best would be to find parents to adopt the three younger siblings — but all four would love to have a couple to call their parents.

“Being at this age, it’s just terrifying,” 13-year-old Jalisha said, “because when you’re continually going through this every day, thinking about me being in foster care, and I feel like there’s nobody out there looking for us to adopt us.”

They’ve been in foster care for around eight years and with their current foster family for the past four. They care about their foster parents very much, and how they care for them, but they’re ready for something permanent.

Eleven-year-old Mikaya loves watching TV with her family and wants to be a hairstylist when she grows up. She loves going to the mall and out to eat. Her favorite things about herself are her glasses, eyes and her kinky hair.

To her being adopted means finding a home that cares about you and staying there permanently.

Thirteen-year-old Jalisha loves to smile and laugh. She’s very outgoing and bubbly and wants to be a FOX4 reporter when she grows up. Jalisha said she especially looks up to Dhomonique Ricks and watches the news as many nights as she can.

Jalisha

However, Jalisha said being a reporter isn’t about being on TV.

“I like to know about the world,” Jalisha said. “I like to know about my environment itself, to watch my surroundings.”

Her favorite place to go is Main Event where she can play arcade games and laser tag with her friends. Jalisha is a funny, happy and creative young woman. She’s happiest when she’s with her brothers and sisters.

Jalisha wants people to know that in her 13 years, she’s come a long way and has big dreams. To her finding a family would be a welcome change and is a goal for her.

Seventeen-year-old Marcus is going into his senior year of high school. He enjoys playing basketball and football in his free time.

He said he understands the importance of an education, and his favorite subject in school is math. Marcus recently got his driver’s license and is looking forward to graduating.

Marcus said when he graduates he wants to work toward becoming a sports physical therapist and takes pride in his work ethic.

He’s not so much focused on the idea of being adopted himself, but would like to see his little sisters find parents to adopt them — and he’ll always be a part of their lives.

Nineteen-year-old Brietneie lives independently in her own apartment and has already graduated from cosmetology school with a focus on makeup and esthetics. She’s awaiting her license, but is passionate about makeup.

“I just want to start my own brand,” Brietneie said. “Probably do everything fashion, makeup, online makeup and stuff. My own business, pretty much everything like that.”

Breitneie

Outside of skin care, she enjoys listening to music and hanging out with her friends. She describes herself as creative, confident, and humble.

She said being adopted means to her finding a forever home.

Brietneie is focused on her future but said she doesn’t want to worry about her siblings being in foster care anymore. She wants to see them in their forever home.

“For my siblings, my little sisters, I’m mostly worried about them being stable,” Brietneie said. “It would be great just to see them somewhere they’re going to stay.”

All four siblings want to stay in the Kansas City metro — and want to stay together.

Jalisha said it would be fun for her and Mikaya to go through their high school years with a family and have them be there for the rest of their lives.

“I wouldn’t know what to do,” Jalisha said. “It would be exciting because someone taking time out of their day to look into us and see how we are and stuff — that would mean a lot to us.”

The siblings hope this summer is the one that could change their lives for the better.

“I just want my siblings to be happy,” Breitneie said. “That’s it. If you make them happy, you make me happy. They love it. I like it.”

“That we grow up and be somebody, and that we have somebody, a mom or a dad, who are for us — to see us achieve our goals,” Jalisha said. “A family would mean everything to me. It would mean the world to me.”

Thank you for supporting Thursday’s Child because all children deserve a family.

Want to adopt them?

If you’re interested in learning more about how to adopt these kids, or would like to contribute to their “One Small Wish,” please get in touch with Megan Fisher, the Adoption Coordinator for Jackson County at 816-889-2144.

“One Small Wish”

Each month we grant “One Small Wish” to say thank you to the kids for opening up their hearts to us. For July, Worlds of Fun sent them tickets to enjoy a day at their park this summer.

Interested in becoming a foster or adoptive parent in Missouri?

  • Cornerstones of Care specializes in Standard and Career Foster Licenses at  1-855-SRV-KIDS (855-778-5437) or visit their website.
  • Crittenton Children’s Center (Saint Lukes) focuses on medical homes, homes that can accommodate sibling groups, and homes for older youth (age 12 and up).
    • If you are interested in learning more about this organization please reach out to Virginia Fatseas at (816) 986-5209
  • Missouri Alliance offers elevated needs training (Level A & B) to our Resource Families.  They also train our foster parents in TBRI (Trust Based Relational Intervention) as well as SOS (Signs of Safety).
    • If you are interested in learning more about this organization please reach out to Karie Scott-Roark email: KRoark@MA-CF.org.
  • Great Circle Behavioral Health for Children & Families does foster care licensing for prospective foster parents.
    • If you are interested in learning more about this organization please reach out to Jaqueline Brown at (816) 255-1503 or Jacqueline.Brown@greatcircle.org

Interested in becoming a foster or adoptive parent in Kansas?

Want to see more children who are looking for a family?

Want to become a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for foster children in the metro?

According to CASA’s website, a court appointed special advocate make a life-changing different for children who have experienced abuse or neglect. Each volunteer is appointed by a judge to advocate for a child’s best interest in court.

Their volunteers help judges develop a fuller picture of each child’s life. Their advocacy enables judges to make the most well-informed decision for each child.

Missouri

Kansas

Want to reach out to Sherae?

For business inquiries or questions that are unable to be answered through this article, you can reach out to Sherae Honeycutt, the host of Thursday’s Child, by email at sherae.honeycutt@fox4kc.com.

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