Mariana, 9 years old, NJ | 3 DAYS WAITING

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Mariana is a joy to be around! Her laugh is infectious and she is such a polite young girl. She loves going to school and learning. Her favorite subject is math and she is in the excel class for it. She wants to be an engineer when she grows up but isn't sure what kind yet. She is very creative and enjoys arts and crafts. Her favorite color is pink. She is being supported by DCFS after being removed from her father following her mother's passing.

Mariana has suffered a loss no child should have to face. Her mother was tragically killed in front of her, and she was then removed from her father and everything familiar to her. She's coping as best she can, but she's still figuring out what her new normal looks like. Mariana couldn't take any of her belongings with her, and it's unknown if or when she'll get them back, including the bike she used to ride around with friends or take out alone to clear her head. She's asking for a new bike now, in pink, because that was her mother's favorite color, a way of keeping her close. Giving Mariana a bike again would hand back something she's lost that always helped her cope. Biking is a healthy outlet and a little bit of freedom in the middle of so much upheaval.