Girl who loves horses, learning, and the outdoors looking for a loving home

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - Around Arizona there are thousands of children in foster care looking for safe and loving families. Each month, we introduce you to some of these kids in our Finding Forever series. This week, Arizona’s Family traveled to Tucson to a beautiful horse ranch to meet a young woman who loves animals and learning.

Savana has a natural way with horses. “He’s one of the survivors. He was a wild horse,” Savana said as she petted a mustang at the Tanque Verde Ranch in Tucson. It was easy to see when she quickly connected with the beautiful horses there. Savana got the VIP treatment, learning about horse care and riding fundamentals, some of which she already knew.

“Perfect, look at you, already a pro at that,” her instructor said. We got to learn about her curious personality and her love of horses and animals with the beautiful Sonoran Desert as a backdrop. “I love drawing and reading, and I actually have a Nintendo that I got for Christmas,” she said. “So I like playing Minecraft and building things.”

This 15-year-old is intelligent, caring, and funny. “I actually was taking a woodworking class,” Savana said. “But I hate it because I cut my finger.” Savana was also quite frank with Ian Schwartz. With the calm horse beneath her and her voice steady, she told him about some of the harsh realities of living in foster care. “Never be able to make friends all the time,” she lamented. “Always having to move and not having a family.”

She said she would love to be paired with an active family that likes animals. “I don’t really care about the technology, I really don’t,” she said. “I don’t care if I have a phone or not but, I just want a good family, maybe like a mom and a dad, or just a mom, but they like doing things like going outdoors and hiking and even animals.”

Savana said she has plans to go to college but is not exactly sure what she wants to do. She is confident though, talking about what Savana in 10 years is saying about herself. “That I got through it,” she said with faith and firmness. “I got through foster care even if I didn’t get a family. I got myself happy and I got better, and I think that I’ll get a job someday and I’ll be happy.”

To find out how you might become a forever family for Savana or other Arizona children who are waiting, contact Aid to Adoption of Special Kids at (602) 930-4900 or email info@aask-az.org. You can also visit the Children’s Heart Gallery.

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