LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) — Adopting a child is not always easy, and when there are special needs involved, it often takes an extra dose of patience and a whole lot of love.
The two children we meet this week not only deserve that love, they desperately need a place to call home.
It was a tough task keeping 13-year-old Amie and 12-year-old Calvin from playing with their microphones we were using for our interview.
Thankfully, there are easy distractions at Little Rock's Third Realm. From jumping to swinging, it is a child's paradise here.
Amie and Calvin may not look their age, and their adoption specialist Margaret Miller explained why.
"They have very special needs that are being addressed in their counseling,” Miller said. “And they are doing well in their counseling. They're making progress, especially Calvin. He has made an enormous amount of progress."
Special needs, Miller said, because of a past filled with neglect and abuse. But despite that past, these siblings can't get enough of each other.
"We're the best brothers and sisters!" Amie said. "I love my brother because he's a sweetheart"
"They have a very strong bond,” Miller said. “They're very dependent upon each other. Amie is kind of like a mother figure to Calvin. And he's really dependent upon her, he does everything to please her."
It's obvious just watching them how close they are. A pair that's grown up in the system. Seven years since they first came into foster care.
"They have grown in foster care, and they realize all they want is a family that is going to take care of them and love them," Miller shared. "They deserve that because they're children just like any other children, they deserve a family that's going to love them."
They want that too, and they're tired of waiting.
"Right now,” Amie said. “I want me a family who's nice."
It seems a reasonable request from a sister who loves Spanish and a brother who loves to read.
"I want them to have a home where they are together,” Miller pleaded. “I want them to have a home that will look at their very special needs that they can help them. As far as being neglected, that they're able to put that behind and realize that these are two little kids that love one another and all they want is to be loved."
Thank you to Third Realm, they gave Amie and Calvin t-shirts and free drinks. We appreciate the managers for their generosity.
If you'd like to know more about Amie and Calvin or any child we've featured in this segment, click here for the DHS Heart Gallery, run by nonprofit Project Zero.
There are no costs associated with adopting children in state foster care.