November is National Adoption Awareness Month. The event is funded every November by The Children’s Bureau, a division of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, in partnership with AdoptUSKids and Child Welfare Information Gateway.
The event originated in 1976, when Governor Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts designated a week in November as Adoption Week in his state. President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first National Adoption Week in 1984. In 1995 President Bill Clinton expanded the event to the entire month of November.
This year (2015) National Adoption Awareness Month focuses on the adoption of children currently in foster care. According to The Children’s Bureau, “Youth ages 15 to 18 make up 5 percent of the foster care population – 84,778 youth.” Statistics demonstrate that “youth in foster care face higher rates of poor outcomes, such as dropping out of high school, unemployment, and homelessness” than other children. Yet statistics also demonstrate that youth in foster care can overcome traumatic past experiences if they gain a sense of belonging by being adopted into a family that will “provide a sense of stability, but also help them navigate the complicated landscape of their emerging independence.”
International Business Times recently featured an article about President Obama’s proclamation for National Adoption Awareness Month 2015:
“All young people deserve a safe place to live, and with each passing year, more children know the warmth and comfort of a loving family, thanks to adoptive parents,” President Barack Obama said in a proclamation released last week. The awareness month is a time to “recognize the selflessness of adoptive families” and “thank them for opening their hearts and their doors to young people in need of a safe, stable place to call home,” Obama said.
The tag line for this year’s focus is “We Never Outgrow the Need for Family.”
For More Information
The National Adoption Awareness Month web site has lots of helpful information, including FAQs for three specific groups: (1) professionals, (2) prospective adoptive parents, and (3) youth.
National Adoption Day is a collective event sponsored by several national partners in the United States to raise awareness of the more than 100,000 children in foster care who are waiting to find permanent homes. It is celebrated on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, when the adoptions of children are finalized across the country.
National Adoption Month, a web site by adoption.com . It looks as if this page was last updated in 2012, but much of the information here is timeless. You’ll find suggestions on how to celebrate National Adoption Awareness Month and links to resources such as how to talk with young children about adoption.
NATIONAL ADOPTION AWARENESS MONTH, presented by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Dave Thomas was the founder of Wendy’s restaurants.
The Huffington Post has several articles about National Adoption Awareness Month. This list also includes posts that appeared before November 1st.
The National Adoption Awareness Community has a Facebook page.
Lifetime Adoption Foundation features National Adoption Awareness Month.
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