How Eunice Met Her Forever Family, What Is the Los Angeles Weekend Miracles Program?
Eunice could not be bothered. She’d been in thirty-six foster homes by the time she was ten. She never had time to adjust. She always had to figure things out for herself. But everything changed when her social worker introduced her to the Los Angeles Weekend Miracles program at Kidsave, an initiative that connects older youth in foster care with mentors or lifelong families, if they choose.
At Eunice’s very first Weekend Miracles event, she met Sari Weiner, a Kidsave mom. It was then that everything would start to become different.
“I was just walking around and bumped into her,” Eunice recalled. “We bonded instantly.”
Even with the immediate connection, matters were not easy as Eunice and Sari got to know one another.
“I would push her away,” Eunice explained. “We were always getting into arguments, but she never left.” The consistency of having someone stay despite friction and struggle was new for Eunice. It’s what slowly began to change everything.
Eunice and Sari met when Eunice was eleven. Sari took Eunice in as her own at age twelve. But it wasn’t until Eunice was eighteen that Sari officially adopted her. Eunice doesn’t hesitate to call Sari her mother.
“[Sari] waited so I could get funding for college.” Eunice said. “But papers never made us family.”
Going to college was a different world, especially since Eunice struggled to believe that attending was possible. But now, her dreams of becoming a lawyer, a social worker, and having her own farm seemed more reachable. Eunice attended Ohio Wesleyan and later graduated from University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), navigating unfamiliar spaces, new people, and the fear of not belonging.
“Acclimating to college was tough,” Eunice said. “A lot of different people.”
Slowly but surely, she made friends and found her footing, most notably, when she spent time working at Project F.O.C.U.S., a program at UNLV dedicated to supporting adult college-aged students with intellectual disabilities.
Upon graduating, Eunice found her calling when one of her dogs went missing. She went to shelters around Vegas looking for him and ended up applying for jobs as well. Working at animal shelters made something click. And the work inspired Eunice to open her own animal shelter—Never Furgotten Animal Rescue. The catch? She runs it right out of her backyard in Vegas. Eunice’s shelter only has two stray dogs right now, but Eunice herself owns twelve dogs and five cats.
Her days start early, letting the dogs out one by one, feeding them, and managing the realities of running a rescue. It’s expensive, exhausting, and deeply fulfilling. After recently receiving IRS approval for her tax ID, Eunice can now officially accept donations, helping her scale her mission.
People often underestimate her—her ability to run a business and her capacity to lead. But they overlook the size of her heart. In five years, Eunice envisions expanding her rescue, adding a transport bus, and helping animals across the country.
The parallel between Eunice’s journey through the foster care system and her passion for taking in strays is not lost on her.
“If it wasn’t for my mom and these dogs, I don’t know where I’d be,” Eunice said. “The smile on their faces every day. The way they make me feel when I’m sad…”
As for Kidsave, Eunice knows how important it was to be a part of the Weekend Miracles program.
“Kidsave is the best thing ever. It made me and my mom come together. It’s not just a program. It’s a life changer.”
Through monthly events, the Los Angeles Weekend Miracles program helps older youth in foster care build meaningful relationships with adults who can become mentors—or family. Learn more here.
