What’s your name and how old are you?

My name is Marissa, and I’m ten years old. I live on the Dalton Ranch outside of Peakview.

Have you lived here your whole life?

Nope. First I lived with my mom and Grammie in Denver. Then Mom couldn’t take care of me anymore so I just lived with Grammie. But she got sick and couldn’t take care of me, so I had to go live in an awful foster home. The other kids were mean to me. That’s when I got to come to Peak Adventure Camp. I loved it there, and I learned to ride horses. I met my best friend, Penny, and her boyfriend, Luke. I guess Penny told her friend, Melanie about me, and Melanie said she’d be my new foster mom. I was so excited when I ‘rived in Peakview. I got a new mom and a sister, but Mom started dating Hank, and I thought she’d run off with him and leave me like my real mom did. I was scared. But you know what? They didn’t run off, Hank lobed me too, and asked all of us to be his family. Hank is  a cowboy, and cowboys don’t lie. Now I have my own dog Scruffy, and my own horse and we live in a big, beautiful house. They’re going to ‘dopt me and keep me forever.

It sounds like you like it here.

I love it. I have my fambly and all kinds of grandparents. Penny just had a baby, and Mom is going to have a baby brother for me. I got lucky, some foster kids don’t. That makes me sad.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I think I might like to be a horse trainer, or a dog trainer. I love animals. Or maybe I’ll be  a social worker and find homes for kids like me. That would be good.