By Benjamin Rosas
As of 2022, there were over 10,000 kids waiting to be adopted from foster care in the state of Texas. Many of these kids are older and have spent years moving from placement to placement within the system. Kidsave’s Weekend Miracles program works to change this. Through monthly Meet the Kids events, Kidsave introduces kids in foster care to caring families interested in opening their hearts and homes. This innovative approach helps shine a light on kids who otherwise may have aged out of the system alone, kids like Jada Flitton.
Jada spent her entire life searching for her forever family. Her journey is one marked by heartbreak, resilience, and hope. Originally adopted at the age of three, Jada entered a home that lacked the most essential foundation of all: love. After this adoption failed, Jada was put back into the foster care system where she would spend the next 14 years. By the time she joined Kidsave, she had experienced multiple foster placements and, at 17, transitioned to a shelter where she was no longer officially considered part of the system.
There were several moments in Jada’s life when she questioned whether she fit in anywhere, doubted her own self-worth, and hated her appearance. Over time, with the support of people who believed in her, she started to grow into herself. Reflecting on her journey, Jada shares, “My story isn't something I can change and no matter what, it's a part of who I am, and it's helped me be who I've become.”
Jada is determined to make one thing clear: life in foster care is not “one size fits all.”
“It’s a temporary solution that doesn’t always work the way it should,” she says. “There are upsides and downsides. A lot of people think foster care automatically fixes everything—that you can put a child into the system, and all the problems disappear. But that’s never been how it works.”
When she first heard of Kidsave Weekend Miracles, she was hesitant to believe in the program. At first, she said no, thinking it was too good to be true. But with time, she worked up the courage to take the leap of faith and showed up to her first Kidsave event.
To say that she was nervous to be there would be an understatement. Jada found herself the oldest kid at the event. Old doubts about her self-worth flooded her mind, and she questioned whether showing up had been a mistake. Still, that leap of faith proved to be life changing.
At the event, she met Jenilyn and Austin Flitton. They talked throughout the entire event, and Jada, while cautious, found it easy to connect with them. After the event ended, she overheard them asking about her and asking when she would be back. That moment stayed with her. Jada made sure to attend each event onward just for the chance to meet up with the Flittons again. She felt a strong feeling towards them that she had never felt before.
Jada recalls the moment the Flittons asked her to be a part of their family.
“The moment that solidified it for me was when my parents sat me down and spoke to me about them wanting to adopt me and asking how I felt about it,” she said. “It feels weird talking about it now because I'm still not used to being completely vulnerable with people, but they were completely vulnerable with me in that moment. Both of them were crying and I was starstruck at how important I am to them. I ended up crying, too. I felt seen, chosen, and loved, and in 2024 we officially became a family.”
Since then, Jada’s life has done a complete turnaround! She is currently an honors student in her second semester at Texas A&M University. Only a small percentage of youth in foster care graduate from high school and go on to college. Jada is among the remarkable 1% who do so. Today, she has access to opportunities she could have only dreamed of before.
Now, Jada hopes her story will reach prospective adoptive parents, reminding them that there are still young people like her out there: kids still waiting and wondering if someone will show up for them. She encourages others to open their hearts, saying, “Every kid deserves a family to cheer them on, to help them dream bigger, and to see the possibility inside them.”
Kidsave’s Weekend Miracles is a hosting program that connects prospective families with kids in foster care between the ages of 9–17. Through our Meet the Kids events, families and youth have the opportunity to interact in a relaxed, no-commitment setting, allowing organic and meaningful connections. Jada is just one of the hundreds of kids whose lives have been changed through our Weekend Miracles program.
