EL PASO, TX -- Currently, 465 children in our area are hoping for someone to come along and give them the love and attention they need.
The search is on for foster and adoptive parents across the county.
All day today, the C.A.R.E. Conference will be held on the east side.
There, prospective parents can learn more about the process of adopting kids, which children are in the system, and talk first-hand with current foster parents.
One woman in particular did not need a lot of convincing to become a mom again.
Nearly two years ago, Socorro Moreno's four grandchildren were going to be put into foster care when her daughter became sick. Instead of watching her granddaughters be split up, she began the process of adopting them.
"I think they needed to be adopted. They were in a situation where they needed the care and I was there for them," says Moreno.
During the adoption process, she got a surprise when she learned her daughter was pregnant. Once the state determined she would be able to care for an infant, she was given custody of five children, all under the age of 11.
More than 200 children eligible for adoption in El Paso are over the age of 10. This year, C.A.R.E. Conference organizers are focusing on adopting out the teens in the system since so many more families prefer to take in an infant or child. Officials believe if children live without parents their entire childhood, they end up homeless and addicted to drugs or alcohol once they become adults.
Natalia Avila, the oldest granddaughter living with Socorro, is happier than she can remember. She doesn't think about her life before living with her grandmother, who she now calls "Mom."
What would she want prospective parents to think about if they are considering fostering or adopting children?
"Kids really want to be with a family, not alone," Avila answered.
The CA.R.E. Conference is from 8 A.M. to 6 P.M. at the El Paso Community College's Administrative Services Center at 9050 Viscount.
Call Norma Peru at 546-8160 ext. 4455 for more information.
Written for kvia.com by Anchor/Reporter Stephanie Valle
