LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) - It's been said there are no unwanted children, just unfound families.
And so, THV11 has partnered with the Arkansas Department of Human Services to help find those families for hundreds of waiting children. One of those children is a teenage girl who told THV11 she wants to be adopted but is afraid.
She’s afraid that she won't fit in or be accepted. “My name is Caitlynn and I'm 16 years old," said the teen. Rarely in life do you meet someone like Caitlynn. “I just want to help animals," she told us. "It feels like fur but it's feathers as he told me, it's really, really soft."
She loves animals so much that it transformed her anxiety about our interview at the Little Rock Zoo. Animals are for Caitlynn are a form of therapy.
"They're just very calming and they're kind of like a support for me," she said. "I'm definitely going to have a service dog to help me through my problems but I also want to train service dogs. Animals have been through similar things that foster kids have been through."
PHOTOS | 16-year-old girl wants to know the peace, calm of having a family
On this day, Caitlynn met numerous animals. “So, this is Shelly, she's one of our African black-footed penguins," said Zoo educator Steven Lemp. Lemp introduced her to not only a penguin but a Virginia opossum and a Great Horned owl. "Lincoln can fly but he can't see so it doesn't really stack up super well," said Lemp.
Every question Caitlynn had was answered. "I really liked to see the penguin, I've never seen a penguin in real life," she said. "It was really fun, I could really let go of some of the stress that I've had." The stress she said she’s had from five years in foster care. And animals aren't allowed in her group home.
“Yeah, I definitely want to be adopted. I'm just really scared that something's gonna happen that I won't like and it'll make my life harder than it already is," said Caitlynn. Her favorite wild animal is a panda, and her favorite domesticated animals is a cat. So, back to her dreams, Caitlynn wants to become some type of animal helper. She wants to work with animals. She also wants to, one day, know the peace and calm of being part of a family.
"I really just want a family that will love me and cares for me," she said. If you'd like to learn more about Caitlynn or any child we've featured, just click here. There are no costs associated with adopting a child in state foster care.