Wow. I am getting a bit teary-eyed as I type. Dang those female hormones!
Read this guest post from AdoptUsKids while I compose myself.
Did you know it would take less than 1% of the U.S. population to provide a family for every child in foster care?
May is National Foster Care Month and there has never been a greater need to bring attention to children waiting for forever homes. More than 463,000 children are currently in foster care and 123,000 children are waiting to be adopted.
Children in foster care are loving children. They are children like Shaquane and Edlina and Albert. Every child deserves to have a home with caring and supportive parents.
Help us spread the message this month to reach all Americans and teach them about the love and joy that foster care adoption can bring to your life.
Visit www.adoptuskids.org to learn more about fostering and adopting. You can also join our online communities on Facebook and Twitter.
May is National Foster Care Month
Each May, National Foster Care Month provides an opportunity to shine a light on the thousands of children and youth in the U.S. foster care system.
The National Adoption Campaign in partnership with the Children’s Bureau, AdoptUsKids, and the Ad Council raises awareness about the urgent needs of these young people and encourages citizens from every walk of life to get involved.
Together, We Can Make a Difference
Through the dedication of advocates, child welfare professionals, elected officials and support groups around the country, the total number of children waiting for a safe and permanent family has decreased from more than a half million to 463,000 between 2003 and the end of 2008. These numbers tell us that, together, we can make a difference for children in foster care.
But there is still so much work to be done, as there are more than 123,000 children waiting to be adopted.
It’s the simple things…
that matter the most in this life.
I was never in foster care. I did have a good friend in middle school whose parents were foster parents. I think [it was so very long ago] they adopted one little boy they fostered. They also took in another boy and an teen girl. Both of these were temporary foster care situations while the childrens’ parents got their lives in order.
While working for my local YMCA I came in contact with a number of children in foster care. Many were friends of my own children. In fact, there is one female couple who take in many foster children. In many instances, they even adopt these children. These kids are loved, well cared for and will have a permanent family. As all children should.
Many times these are temporary situations
Imagine, you are a young boy of about 12 years old. You are well taken care of except for one thing, when your mom gets mad things are really bad for you. One night you decide to run away. After spending some time with a friend, you leave to go “home”. Instead, you head towards the woods and they see you. The cops are called and you are brought back to this friend’s house. That night you are put in a emergency foster home. The next day you are taken to a more permanent foster home. Here you will live for the next 2 years.
This is where the foster care system really shows its strength. Helping children who need it most.
Giving love. Giving a home. Giving your time. Giving your experience. Giving your guidance.
You can make a difference to a child who needs someone to care.
Many children age out of the foster care system never finding a family. These children are turned out into the world with no money and no place to call home. You can read more about the struggles and trials and errors of those who lived through it in the book FLUX Life after Foster Care.
Yet, many are waiting for you to adopt them into your family. The average age of a child in foster care, waiting to be adopted is 7 1/2. You can read more about these children and decide if adopting a child is right for you.
Want to know more?
Head over to the AdoptUsKids website and watch a video, find local events, learn how you can be a foster parent.
Then join us May 27 at 2 p.m. EST on Twitter for an #AdoptUsKids one hour chat to get the message out about National Foster Care Month.
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Thank you to Global Influence for allowing me to share this wonderful message. I received no compensation for this post, but am eligible for an incentive program being offered. All thoughts are 100% my own. Experiences shared here are based on my observations and stories told to me by those who lived them.
