Those who know Adyn would describe him as spirited, energetic, and at times, a handful (in the most endearing way). Adyn was only six years old when he entered foster care, and for years, he was bounced around within the system. By the time he was 12, he’d lived in 20 different placements.

That same year, Adyn was referred to the Weekend Miracles program in LA. The Weekend Miracles program is a unique approach to connecting older kids in foster care with potential mentors and adoptive families. Kids and families can connect through engaging monthly events and develop a bond naturally over time. This approach allows everyone to move at their own pace and gives the kids a voice and a choice in who they spend time with and get to know.

The Kidsave team could see that Adyn was a wonderful kid, but he struggled to connect with families at events. When this happens, it’s easy to become discouraged, but unbeknownst to Adyn, things were about to change.

In 2024, Alyssa and Jacob Kix were starting to consider adoption from foster care. In their research, they came across the Weekend Miracles program and thought it sounded like a good way to ease into working with youth in foster care. As they were going through the process to join Weekend Miracles, they found themselves on Adyn’s gallery page. There was a video of Adyn talking about his likes and interests, his favorite kinds of cars and why he enjoys playing video games. Alyssa said it was like looking at a younger version of Jacob.

“He reminded us of my husband to a T,” said Alyssa. “It was like, oh my gosh, that is a mini you.”

At Alyssa and Jacob’s first event, they were introduced to Adyn. At first, like many teenagers, Adyn attempted to push boundaries to see what kind of reaction he would get. But soon, once he and Jacob began talking about Jacob’s job in IT and cars, he settled down and let them begin to see the real Adyn. In the months since this meeting, there have been many other interactions like this. Each time Adyn attempts to push Alyssa and Jacob away, they remain patient and consistent, proving to him that they aren’t going anywhere.

“Pretty quickly he saw we treated him differently than most people treat him,” said Alyssa. “I feel like a lot of people tell him to sit down, focus, participate, but he likes to wander around. He likes to talk to everyone, he’s just a fun kid.”

Jacob and Adyn bonded over their shared love of tech and cars. Alyssa and Adyn bonded over Star Wars, and Adyn loved hearing about the couple’s three dogs.  After spending time together at several events, the three were matched for hosting, meaning they could begin spending time together outside of planned Kidsave events.

Alyssa and Jacob began making a list of things they all wanted to do together called “Adyn’s Adventures.” So far, these adventures have included outings with the dogs, working on rebuilding a computer with Jacob, and soon, the three will be attending a STEM festival together. And these are only the beginning.

Knowing that Adyn needs an adoptive family, Jacob and Alyssa are working with Kidsave to support him in his search for his forever family. And Adyn can feel assured that no matter what his struggles are, Jacob and Alyssa plan to always be there for him.