Wednesday's Child: 14-Year-Old Ari

Ari is a friendly, likeable and appreciative 14-year-old boy with a great sense of humor. He likes music, video games, computers, Pokemon, Chinese food, particularly crab rangoon. Though he is not sure what he wants to be when he gets older, he enjoys his technology class in school. When asked if he could meet anyone, real or fictional, Ari stated Finn from Adventure Time because he goes on adventures with his dog. If Ari had a superpower, it would be to have super speed.

Currently, Ari resides in a group home where he has been working with therapeutic services to address a challenging history. His social worker said that he has been making good progress this year and does well going into the community and taking art classes. He has been processing his past and is now ready to find a family of his own, which he describes as "a good home with a mother, father, other children and pets." The professionals who work with Ari believe he would do well with any type of two-parent home where there might be other children who shared some of his interests. Legally freed for adoption, Ari is an easy-going teen who is open to trying new activities and could integrate well into a family's routine.

For more information you can contact MARE: 617-54-ADOPT (617-542-3678) or visit www.mareinc.org.

Since its inception in 1981, Wednesday's Child has been a collaboration of the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE), the Department of Children & Families and WBZ-TV/CBS Boston. Hosted by Jack Williams for the last 34 years, this weekly series has given a face and voice to the children who wait the longest for families. Wednesday's Child has helped find homes for hundreds of waiting children and continues to raise awareness about adoption from foster care.