(WSVN) - She spent the first few years of her life with no family and no place to call home. Now she’s using her past experience to help other foster children. The Nightteam’s Brandon Beyer reports on this “Comforting Cause.”
Twelve-year-old Adriana Hansen has a passion for horses — real ones and stuffed ones.
Adriana Hansen, daughter: “They’re really calming, and you can trust them.”
They are a source of stability for her.
Jane Hansen, mother: “The horses have helped her so much. I mean, so much.”
Adriana spent the first half of her life being moved from one foster home to another, not sure where she would end up next.
Adriana Hansen: “Scared, lonely and sad, mostly.”
When she was finally adopted, Adriana’s new mother, Jane Hansen, asked Adriana if there was something she wanted to give to other foster children still looking for forever homes.
Jane Hansen: “And she said, ‘Stuffed ponies.'”
They used Adriana’s love of horses to create a book called, “My Forever Friendship Pony.” It tells a story similar to Adriana’s about a little girl without a family, who desperately needed a friend.
Adriana Hansen: “A stuffed pony that was a caramel color, and when Annabelle closed her eyes, it came to life, and it was rainbow colored. It was exciting for me because I really wanted to help kids in foster care not feel sad or angry.”
They have donated more than 300 books to adoption agencies across South Florida.
Each book comes with a stuffed pony, and a personal message from Adriana.
Adriana Hansen: “So we tagged them with a special note, ‘A forever friend to hold close to your heart whenever you need a hug.'”
But Adriana didn’t stop there.
She wanted to find a way to help local foster kids take part in horse therapy programs here in Coconut Creek, and she set up some online fundraising to help.
Jane Hansen: “One child is $3,600, so we are hoping to send a group of girls.”
In just four months, the project has raised more than $20,000 and earned Adriana a title as a “GoFundMe Kid Hero.”
She wants to keep the project going for years to come.
Adriana Hansen: “We think that it would make the children more happy to be with more horses, because that’s the way I felt.”
And she says it is her goal to let some of South Florida’s most vulnerable children know that they will always have a friend.
If you would like to donate to help keep Adriana’s project going, please click here.
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