By Gillian Sheridan gsheridan@cbs19.tv

Diane is a friendly, insightful young lady who likes animals and spending time outside.

“I like riding dirt bikes, four-wheelers. I like playing with dogs and I like cats,” Diane said.

This seventh-grader is very creative. She enjoys singing in the school choir and making things.

“I like to do art and whatever comes to my mind, I just do it,” she said.

“She makes friends pretty well and is doing well in school grade-wise,” Kim Rhodes, her Child Protective Services caseworker, said. “She has to have some tutoring in one subject, but other than that she’s doing really well at school.”

This 14-year-old has been in foster care almost five years.

“Teenagers have a hard time figuring who they are anyway, and add to that foster care, and not having a family can be really hard (for the child) to figure out who they are going to be,” Rhodes said.

Diane also has had a lot of disappointment.

“I’ve been adopted before, but it didn’t work out,” she said. “It made me feel kind of mad and kind of sad.”

“She’s wondering if there is somebody out there for her that’s a good family for her and I believe there is; we just haven’t quit found them yet,” Rhodes said.

Diane needs a family who will be patient and understanding, and give her time to trust again.

“She’s got a good heart,” Rhodes said. “She just needs somebody who can help her control her emotions and I think she can learn that because she wants to do right.”

To learn more about Diane, join Gillian Sheridan for her “Children are a Gift” report, Tuesday night on CBS 19 Ten @ 10. You can also find information on www.cbs19.tv. To inquire about an East Texas child waiting to be adopted call 903-533-4242.