Gene is an active and fun little boy with short blond hair, blue eyes and glasses. He has a contagious laugh and is very curious. While at home, Gene enjoys spending time riding his John Deere tractor and playing with his many toy dinosaurs.

Gene, 7, enjoys watching cartoons and oftentimes relates to imaginary characters. His favorite program is “Arthur,” the PBS series about the adventures of a cartoon aardvark and his family and friends.

Gene and his sisters Tammy, 9, and Crystal, 13, visited Great Skates in Bangor recently to film a series of “Thursday’s Child” profiles to air on WABI 5 in late September and early October. While none of the novice roller skaters were particularly comfortable with their unsteady stints on four wheels, they enjoyed the experience – and the hospitality of Great Skates employee Judy Ellis – tremendously.

Ellis, the mother of Great Skates owner Tom Ellis, treated Gene and his sisters to a cup full of tokens each for the video and interactive games at the entertainment center, along with several prizes in exchange for the tickets they earned from some of the games.

Gene was particularly thrilled with the game “Cruis’n Exotica,” in which he drove a Hummer through a land of dinosaurs. His aggressive driving style – while not recommended for typical highway driving – was comical to watch, as he drove off cliffs and through boulders and trees and, occasionally, a small dinosaur or two.

Gene has been in the care of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services since February 2003. Now in first grade, Gene has significant delays in all areas of cognitive development and receives special education services. He enjoys school, and his teachers report that he participates in activities and appears happy.

Gene was reunited with his sisters recently and is delighted to be in the same home with them. An adoptive family for Gene and his two sisters will need to be a two-parent family with parenting experience. Gene and his sisters need continuous supervision and a structured home environment.

Gene is one of 221 Maine children in Maine DHHS care seeking an adoptive home. For more information about Gene or other children available for adoption, contact A Family for ME at 1-877-505-0545 or visit www.afamily forme.org. Based in Gardiner, A Family for ME is a nonprofit program that works in collaboration with Maine DHHS to find foster and adoptive families for Maine children in care.