November is National Adoption Month

I grew up in a home where I was loved and cherished; I have wonderful parents! My husband grew up in a home where he was loved and cherished. Our children grew up in a home where they were loved and cherished, but sadly, our experiences are not the experiences of all children. There are children who grow up in homes where they are not loved and cherished. Homes where they are not cared for. Homes where they may be abused. These children end up in the care of child services and they need homes.

In 1976 Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis announced an Adoption Week to promote awareness of the need for adoptive families for children in foster care. In 1984 President Reagan proclaimed the first National Adoption Week. In 1995 President Clinton expanded the awareness week to the entire month of November and in 1998 he directed the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop a plan to expand the use of the Internet as a tool to find homes for children waiting to be adopted from foster care.

Today, we focus on adoption every November, with a Presidential Proclamation  which launches activities and celebrations to help build awareness of adoption throughout the nation. Thousands of community organizations arrange and host programs, events, and activities to share positive adoption stories, challenge the myths, and draw attention to the thousands of children in foster care who are waiting for permanent families.

There are 100,000 children and teens in foster care in the USA who are waiting for families to adopt them. Not all of us can adopt, but we all can pray for these children and we can spread the news because others may be able to adopt. Please join me in doing these things during November - and all year long!