AUSTIN, Texas — For kids growing up in the Texas foster care system, it can be hard to find solid role models who consistently stay by their side.
Zaqwavion, who goes by Zaq, is 13 and can often be found at the local basketball court. He said playing ball helps him keep his mind off the bad stuff in a constructive way.
"Whenever I was little, I would throw socks in the trashcan for no reason. And I would get in trouble, but I just kept doing it," Zaq said.
Before his mother lost custody of him years back, he said he would often tell her that he plans to make it to the NBA.
"I want to and I know I can," Zaq said.
PHOTOS | Forever Families: Meet Zaq
Someone else who said the same thing to his mother growing up is former NBA player Jason Kapono. During his nine-year professional career, he played alongside some of the biggest names in basketball history: LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.
"It's the same passion that Zaq is showing. I grew up in southern California. I had a hoop out front, and it was just my passion and joy to go play hoops," Kapono said. "I just used basketball and sport as a way to calm myself down, to regain my confidence and to find that joy in life."
Zaq is learning to play the flute in his school band. He also has an amazing sense of humor and isn't afraid to share what he's feeling.
"I've been in several foster homes, and sometimes I get frustrated because I wasn't always treated right. I'm working on my honesty with things," Zaq said.
To learn more about Zaq 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.
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