Eileen Mitchell laughs when she tells how essential it is to have 10-year-old Joebert along when visiting a warehouse store.
“I’ll say, ‘where is this,’ or ‘where is such and such,’ and he will take me right to it,” said Mitchell, the boy’s court appointed special advocate (CASA).
The story tells you two important things about Joebert, she says. One, he is whip smart – smart enough to commit to memory the inventory of a sprawling warehouse store. Two, he is eager to help others.
“He loves being helpful,” Mitchell says. “He loves to cook.”
And Joebert also loves playing sports of all sorts.
“My favorite sport is football,” Joebert said.
But he was an enthusiastic student for rugby coach Ian Gregor, who taught him the basics of the sport that is something of a mix of football and soccer.
Joebert says he likes school and he earned “student of the month” last fall.
“I’m a very fast learner,” Joebert said. “My favorite subjects are science and social studies. I really like to study about things.”
Joebert got a ukulele for Christmas and is trying to teach himself how to play it.
Joebert craves a strong male role model, says adoption recruiter Jen Workman. He would do well in a single-parent or two-parent family.
It’s important for Joebert to stay close to his younger sibling, who is in an adoptive home in Arizona.
Watch the stories of children in foster care waiting on forever families each week on the Wednesday’s Child segment each week between 5-6 a.m. on 12 News. You can also view previously aired stories at www.aask-az.org.
For more information on children eligible for adoption, call Aid to Adoption of Special Kids (AASK) at 602-930-4900, or visit www.aask-az.org