SALT LAKE CITY – Every child in Utah deserves safety, stability, and a place to call home. Last year in Utah, 1,120 children living in foster care were age 14 and older, and 16-year-old Ayden was one of them.

“If I were to go and change something about foster care, I would change that the kids had to fit the families,” Ayden said when speaking with KSL TV about his personal journey in foster care.

In this week’s Wednesday Child in Partnership with Raise the Future, KSL TV got to know Ayden while visiting Red Butte Garden in Salt Lake City. Red Butte Garden recently became one of Ayden’s favorite places to visit.

“This is the Rose Garden of Red Butte, the reason why I really like this spot is because it has a resting area down there and there are chairs there and a waterfall in the background, most likely there is birds chirping, it’s just a really serene pace to be.”

Ayden has lived in foster care for about six years and during that time nature, music, and books have been a creative and safe space for him.

“With songs, if you listen to the lyrics, you get a picture in your head, like a scene playing over and over again,” he said. “For books, it’s an entirely different world you can escape in and it’s an entire movie in your head and after a while, you just forget you’re reading a book and it’s just a world to you at that point.”

“Ayden is very imaginative and talkative,” Lisa Miller, Ayden’s Youth Connections Advocate at Raise the Future, said. “He loves attention and making people laugh. Definitely not shy at all.”

Ayden has a big personality and huge imagination. He hopes to be an author someday, perhaps writing fantasy novels.

“I’ve written some stuff, not fully published yet, just a couple chapters. Fantasy mostly. “

Ayden says he has a plan for his writing, and he hopes to find a family that will support his dream. He’s also hoping to find a family that is open-minded.

“I know a kid whose parents are super open-minded and I’m like dude, you got it, you hit rich man. Your family is just amazing.”

“Ayden loves to have independence, he does his own laundry, cleans his room, and is learning to cook, but he needs someone who will encourage him as he works towards his goals and will spend quality time with him,” Miller said.

Ayden would like to make a family connection; he would love siblings and a family with animals.

“I love animals. Especially cats, cats are super fluffy. And dogs, dogs are fluffy, depending on the breed.”

Ayden hopes by opening up about his likes and dreams, a family will open their hearts to him.

To learn more about Ayden, please contact Raise the Future at 801-265-0444 or visit their website.