11-year-old with passion for reading searching for her ‘Forever Family’

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) – Right now, there are 4,366 children in foster care across the state of South Carolina. Beatrice is one of them.

Beatrice, who likes to go by Bea, is among the 192 children in foster care in Lexington County.

The 11-year-old entered care six years ago at the age of 5. She’s spent that entire time with the same family, but she’s in search of her forever family.

Bea is a sixth grader with a clear passion for books. She said she’s always excited to read.

“I came back to school and I was just like ‘I want to read a lot.’ I don’t know why, I just like reading a lot and I just started reading a lot,” Bea said.

It’s a hobby she picked up in the last year, a sign she’s open to trying new things and still learning more about who she can be.

She said her passion helped her advance reading levels in just a short time.

“I just started reading a lot this year and I went up a lot, from “N” - that’s the very low level - to “W’ this year,” she said.

Right now, she’s on a mission to read all the books on the South Carolina Book Awards list.

As she’s turning the pages, she’s able to lose herself in each story.

“I just go into this world where I don’t hear anything; it’s just quiet. I’m just reading and going on and I get so caught up, I don’t even know what’s going on around me,” Bea said.

Reading isn’t the only thing Bea enjoys, she’s also involved in chorus.

“The next performance is in May, but we had two so far - Veterans Day and one for winter - but the next one we’re having is a musical,” she said.

She also enjoys art class at school and is proud of her skills at the keyboard. She said she’s the second-fastest typer in her class.

When it comes to the next chapter in her story, Beatrice says she would like to have siblings around her age. Perhaps, someone to share her love for reading with.

If you’re interested in learning more about foster care or adoption, you can call the region’s Division of Adoption Services at (800) 763-6637.

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