Former Wednesday's Child finds a loving Colorado family, promising future
those television stories
. It's a win every time it happens.
Jalysa was one of those children. Over the years she was featured on CBS News Colorado several times. She spent 13 years in the foster care system and had 23 placements along the way.
"My dream was to have a mom and a dad and meet my siblings again," Jalysa told CBS News Colorado.
Jalysa's forever family at just the right moment.
"We found her and she was ... they were just getting ready to send her to Camber Children's Mental Health facility in Kansas City," said Michelle, Jalysa's adoptive mother.
"When I was going through a hard time in Kansas and I had a plan to just not be here on this earth no more ... for some reason, they just decided to show up and take me in. Then, the next few months later, they asked me if they wanted to adopt me, and they kind of crumbled my plan," Jalysa laughed as she recalled. "But it was a good reason."
Michelle and Clay officially adopted Jalysa in August of 2024. She is the biological half-sister to their twins, Tyler & Cody. Michelle and Clay adopted the twins when they were infants. They were born premature and spent two months in the NICU. Thirteen years later, they are thrilled to be reunited with their sister.
"I feel like I'm actually a part of something rather than feeling like an outcast," Jalysa said.
Being a part of something is a huge adjustment of Jalysa after years and years of being all alone. Michelle and Clay saw some big behaviors from Jalysa when she first came home with them.
"In the beginning, we saw more, where she struggled with it a lot harder. We had more kinds of meltdowns, I guess you could say," Clay explained.
"To trust that we love her, to allow herself to be loved, when her whole life she felt she wasn't worthy of love, that she couldn't be loved, that she never would be loved," Michelle said.
Her dream was to have a mom and a dad and meet her siblings again. She got that and so much more. She got comfort. She got a home. She got a foundation from which she can build a bright future. Jalysa is excited to go to college in the fall.
"I just want the other kids to know they might be going through a lot of difficult times and not feeling that they're loved or cared for and just... they don't have a family right now, but they'll either make one of their own or they can have one," she said.
LINK:
A Day for Wednesday's Child
You can make a donation to support A Day for Wednesday's Child and help Raise the Future by calling 303-755-3975, or text 2025 DWC TO 71777, or click the link above.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
6 days ago
- Newsweek
Cat Comforts Owner After Breakup by Bringing Stuffed Animals Every Night
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A woman, processing a recent breakup, became touched when she realized her cat stepped in to fill the void and has become a "better boyfriend." Michelle rescued her 6-year-old long-haired black cat, Mowgli, from a construction site. Since then, he's been a vital part of the family, offering cuddles and love to her and her children, but when her breakup happened nearly five weeks ago, Mowgli began showing new habits as if he knew Michelle was not doing well. The night her partner left, she heard Mowgli calling, she told Newsweek via email. She originally thought the cat's meows were meant for the other feline, which her partner took, but instead, Mowgli jumped straight into her bed with a stuffed animal tiger. "Then he did the same, calling out and returning with another stuffed animal," Michelle said. "Sometimes it would be a soft-bodied baby doll or a larger stuffed animal." Photos of an owner's long-haired black cat named Mowgli who started bringing her stuffed animals every night since her breakup. Photos of an owner's long-haired black cat named Mowgli who started bringing her stuffed animals every night since her breakup. Courtesy of Michelle This habit turned into a nightly routine for the last five weeks, she said. He's usually an outdoor cat, but comes in every night to take care of her. Mowgli will bring her about six items a night before he finally settles down to snuggle, which never happened while she was with her partner. Michelle said the only thing Mowgli would bring her before her ex left was pinecones from outside. He knew she didn't want "dead birds or live birds" inside. Besides gifting her items, Mowgli will also sleep next to her, touching her shoulder or her back. He follows her around constantly. He'll relax with her on the patio, each sitting on their own chair, soaking up the fresh air. "He and my children have helped me get through the heartbreak," Michelle said. "To be so completely loved by an animal is so healing. He really is the best knew I wasn't ok, and he stepped up to be my comfort." What Do the Comments Say? Michelle shared Mowgli's selfless acts to comfort her in a Reddit post to the subreddit channel r/MadeMeSmile, reaching over 2,100 votes and 32 comments. "He's showing you what you deserve. Mowgli is the real deal. Somebody else really wasn't," wrote a viewer. Another added: "Sometimes animals are better than people, hope you heal soon." A third person commented: "Mowgli is the sweetest little caretaker." Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@ with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Los Angeles Times
7 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
Moo's Craft BBQ Fire-Roasted Salsa Verde
30 minutes Makes about 2 cups Print Recipe Print Recipe Aug. 8, 2025 Michelle Muñoz likes a tangy and acidic fire-roasted salsa to cut through the lushness of barbecue meat she and her partner and husband Andrew Muñoz serve at L.A.'s Moo's Craft Barbecue. To achieve this, she works charred tomatillos, serrano chiles and chiles de árbol into a green salsa that is perfect for making tacos with the couple's barbecue beef ribs (get the rib recipe here) or with just about anything you can think of that needs an extra kick. Watch Michelle and Andrew Muñoz make their beef ribs adapted for home ovens and the fire-roasted salsa in the Times Test Kitchen for our 'Chef That!' series. Watch Michelle and Andrew Muñoz of Moo's Craft BBQ make oven-roasted barbecue beef ribs. 1 Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and put the tomatillos in the hot pan. Blister the tomatillos until they soften and have charred spots all over, 10 to 15 minutes, flipping regularly with tongs. Remove from the pan and set aside, covered, in a large bowl. 2 Add the serrano chiles to the hot pan and char on all sides, rotating with tongs, about 4 minutes. Set aside with the tomatillos to cool slightly. 3 Toast the chiles de arbol in a dry skillet over medium heat, until aromatic and slightly darkened, about 30 to 45 seconds. Keep an eye on them and stir as needed — they can burn quickly and turn bitter. 4 Put the roasted tomatillos and serrano chiles, chiles de arbol, onion, cilantro, garlic and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Blend until it's a well-incorporated chunky mixture. Taste and add salt if necessary. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; you also can freeze it.
CBS News
05-08-2025
- CBS News
Turlock's We Care shelter back open but future remains uncertain
After weeks in limbo, Turlock's We Care homeless shelter is back open. The facility's future was uncertain until last-minute donations bought them more time. We Care reopened its doors on Friday after a month-long shutdown due to ongoing funding issues. The city's only men's emergency shelter typically shuts down for two weeks in the summer, but this time, they nearly didn't reopen at all. Sot: michelle h / shelter coordinator0:22 "We're having problems with funding from the city, but our wonderful community came up with lots of donations for us, and so we're going to stretch those as far as we can," said shelter coordinator Michelle CBS13 has extensively covered the funding fallout for the shelter after city leaders in Turlock refused to pledge $1 of support, causing the shelter to lose out on nearly $270,000 in state funding. Now, it's back open but with a tighter budget. It normally costs the shelter $35,000 a month to operate. The shelter has 49 beds dedicated to men, but they're hoping new grants will secure more funding. But for now, they're hoping those budget cuts can get them past fall because for clients like Simon, who only wanted to be addressed by his first name, a bed inside means everything. "It's a lot better than sleeping outside or sitting in a chair all night," Simon said. If We Care receives those grants, it will get just over $150,000 to put towards the shelter alone, with extra money going to its rapid rehousing and other programs.
