Hearts Without Homes: Mary's Story
By: Chris Cerenelli
Updated: September 2, 2010
The poem Mary has been working on for three years is finally done.
"I've been falling for 15 years...how long will it take for somebody to catch me and hold me and love me?" it reads.
At times, life has painted a trying picture for her.
But as you'll quickly see, she's eager to grow and move forward and use the not-so-great memories of her past to paint a future that's as bright as her smile.
She's already laid the foundation...She just needs the bricks and mortar.
"Basically a family that will support me with everything and through everything, 'cause my past is my past and i'm a different person now," she says.
"She really does want a family, she does want to belong...she just wants permanency," says Debbie Sardini with the Erie County Office of Children and Youth.
"She enjoys church, she likes school."
That's obvious-- she gets great grades and wants to study child psychology in college.
In fact, through her own research, she's concluded that she doesn't have a preference to a mom, a dad, or both.
"I read a lot of books and watch a lot of TV, autobiographies on people in foster care and it works both ways," she says.
There's practically no end to her interests and talents.
"I like to draw even though I'm not very good at it ((laughs)), right now I'm actually working on a project outside where I'm pulling all the weeds out and putting in all different types of flowers."
But they're only part of what makes this young lady so special.
"She struck me as being very insightful for being 15 years old," says Elisha Pancoast, case worker with Family Services of NW Pennsylvania.
"She knew where she came from and knew exactly where she wanted to go in life and has a plan for it."Reporter's Note: To learn more about Mary, contact Elisha Pancoast of Family Services of NW Pennsylvania at 814-866-4607 or epancoast@fsnwpa.org.
Mary's case number is C25AA52 and you can find her profile on www.adoptpakids.org
