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15-Year-Old Orphan's Plea to Find a Family of His Own Goes Viral

Davion Only, 15, who has been an orphan since he was a baby, has dreams of finding a family of his own and went in front of a church to make a plea for someone to adopt him.

Davion Only, 15, who has been an orphan since he was a baby, has a dream of finding a family of his own and recently went in front of a church to make a plea for someone to adopt him. 

His story has now gone viral, and nearly 1,000 inquiries about adopting Davion have poured into Eckerd, the adoption agency that is helping Davion find a family. The teen got the idea to speak at a church when he heard that God helps people who helps themselves, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

"I'll take anyone," he said to the congregation at St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church in Saint Petersburg, Florida, one Sunday morning in September. "Old or young, dad or mom, black, white, purple. I don't care. And I would be really appreciative. The best I could be," he said, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Davion was born while his mother was in jail. He recently found out through a search on a library computer that she died on June 5, 2013. Knowing this, Davion began to let go of the idea that his mother would come and save him.

Months later, he is a step closer to having his dream come true. "Thank you so much for letting us know that Davion has touched your heart. The response has been tremendous and we are excited to know that we are closer to finding a forever family for him," Eckerd wrote in a statement.
In an interview with ABC News, he said he will use his past as motivation. "I'm not going to use all my bad stuff that happened to me as an excuse, but I'm going to use it as motivation to push me more and give me more courage."

Those interested in adopting Davion and other youth within Eckerd's system can call 1-866-233-0790 or visit www.eckerd.org.
Of the estimated 400,540 children in foster care on Sept. 30, 2011, 27 percent were Black, 41 percent were White and 21 percent were Hispanic, according to Child Welfare Information Gateway

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(Photo: ABC News)

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