Wednesday's Child: Jahmeal
By Larry Kane
Produced by Timothy McLaughlin
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Thirteen-year-old Jahmeal is glued to his iPhone.
(Jahmeal): "Texting, going on the Internet."
(Kane): "What do you do on the Internet? Do you read the news?"
(Jahmeal): "Yeah."
(Kane): "What kind of news do you read?"
(Jahmeal): "Good news."
When he's not on his phone, he's in the kitchen, cooking and baking.
(Kane): "What do you bake?"
(Jahmeal): "Cupcakes."
(Kane): "What flavor of cupcakes?"
(Jahmeal): "Strawberry."
Jahmeal loves trying new things, according to his social worker, Stephanie Andujar.
"There's a traditional dish from the Dominican Republic," Andujar says, "and he actually really surprised me when he asked me, 'oh, can you make me some Mangu (mashed plantains)? I said, 'you know what that is!?"
She says Jahmeal is curious about the world and needs a loving, committed family to support him.
Gloria Hochman, from the Philadelphia-based National Adoption Center, says Jahmeal has a lot of love to give.
"Before he left, he gave me a big, unsolicited hug," Hochman says. "He's friendly and warm. He wants to be a police officer when he grows up or maybe even a lawyer. And he needs a family that will nurture him and love him."
For more information about adopting Michael or any other child, go to the National Adoption Center's web site, www.adopt.org, or call 215-735-9988.
———-