AUSTIN, Texas — Jimmy is determined to support his country when he grows up. But first, he's hoping to find a family who will support him.
Jimmy is an avid learner and enjoys talking to others about his knowledge of general and military history. He spent a morning at the Texas Military Forces Museum with KVUE's Tori Larned, navigating through each exhibit.
Jimmy plans to join the military when he is older and is considering going to college. He loves the structure and brotherhood that the military would offer him.
Despite admitting he is scared of heights, he wants to go to Airborne School.
"At one point people need to break out of their fears so they can do the impossible," he said.
Jimmy is a funny and intelligent 15-year-old who lives by the motto, "Caring is key." As he grows up, he hopes to hold onto these values.
He is also deeply fascinated by cars. He can name the make, model and year of almost every car ever manufactured. He also loves to fix things and solve problems, so he isn't ruling out becoming a mechanic in the future.
"There is so much science underneath the hood of the car," he said.
He even has his sights set on a 1968 Pontiac GT with a hardtop. He hopes to save up enough money to buy and fix it for himself.
PHOTOS | Forever Families: Meet Jimmy
Jimmy is outgoing and loves to spend time outdoors, including fishing, camping, hunting, hiking and playing football. He is a big fan of the University of Texas Longhorns but said he would be okay with a family that is Texas A&M Aggie fans.
When it comes to other aspects of his future family, Jimmy said he doesn't have many needs.
"I just want a family that will take care of me. Not abuse me. Not neglect me," he said. "To help me out whenever I'm sad. To help me when I feel down. To care for me when I need to be cared for. Because I never had a family that did that to me."
Jimmy's caseworker, Maggie Surma, said he is an amazing kid.
"He loves to make people smile and to laugh. Jimmy has a huge heart and is very giving. Jimmy is very spiritual and is always looking for ways to improve himself. He is deeply committed to being successful in everything he does," Surma said.
Jimmy’s forever family will need to be nurturing, loving, patient and understanding of his needs. They will need to be outgoing and energetic, good listeners and supportive of Jimmy and his interests, Surma said.
Jimmy hopes to find a family that has children younger than him, so he can be a big brother and help with his siblings.
To learn more about Jimmy or to put in an inquiry to adopt him, visit his page on the Heart Gallery of Central Texas.
KVUE launched the Forever Families segment with Partnerships for Children (PFC) in June 2020 to highlight children in the Heart Gallery of Central Texas who need secure and permanent families. Every day, there are nearly 1,000 children waiting to get adopted in Central Texas, according to PFC.
Editor's note: The children who are in the Heart Gallery program and featured in KVUE's Forever Families segments are children who have had every effort made on their behalf to connect them with family or others in their community to provide options for permanent, adoptive homes. Through no fault of their own, that hasn’t happened yet, and so in partnership with the Department of Family and Protective Services, we collaborate to bring awareness to KVUE viewers about these children in the hopes of finding them permanency before they age out.
MORE FOREVER FAMILIES CHILDREN:
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- Efren, a happy and adventurous boy, is looking for a forever family
- 11-year-old says he'd be 'really happy and excited' to find supportive forever family
- Confidence is key: Central Texas teen awaiting adoption uses dancing as her outlet