Fifteen-year-old Davion Only made headlines last week when the story about his plea inside of a Florida church to be adopted went viral.
There were thousands of responses in regards to adopting Only, as well as hundreds more looking to adopt a child in a similar situation.
Only was born while his mother was serving a prison sentence and grew up in Florida’s foster care system. He recently learned that his maternal mother died this past June.
With the help of his case work and adoption specialist Connie Going, the young man’s search for a mom and dad lead him to St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church where he stood in front of about 300 churchgoers and pleaded for a permanent family.
Eckerd Community Alternatives, the agency Only is apart of, released this statement on their website:
Thank you so much for your interest in helping Davion. His courage and faith have inspired the world. We are so touched and humbled by the international response to his desire to have a forever family.
Due to the overwhelming response, please be patient as we sort through the enormous volume of calls, emails and letters that have poured in from around the world. We promise that we will respond to each and every request.
In addition to Davion, please know that there are hundreds of children just like him that are in need of a forever family in Eckerd’s system of care.
Follow Carrie Healey on Twitter @CarrieHeals.