Giving Back This Holiday Season- and beyond

Disclosure: In any review for a product or service, products or compensation may have been provided to me to help facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” and "Terms of Use" tabs for more information.

Have you ever considered Foster Care or Adoption?  Many of you know that we personally had our own experience which was not what anyone desired, and ended in a failure.  While our experience was far from unique (failed adoptions are not small in number- everything can’t be healed or “fixed” with love and therapy, and there is less support for families then one might think)  more adoptions that are done from foster care and into adoption end up working out then other types of adoption, since the child(ren) and the families get to spend time together first.  Getting to know each other is an (I believe) vital part to a good relationship- other types of adoption don’t offer that.  As a result, a bunch of strangers end up living together, with backgrounds you know little to nothing about.  Foster to Adoption gives everyone time, space, support, therapy, and the ability to decide (together and individually) if adoption is the best decision.  If you feel that adoption is right for you, take it slow, and learn about each other.  The children in the US Foster/Adoptive system will usually have full, truthful backgrounds and medical information available as well, which is a huge difference (and so important to have and know)  then most adoptions done abroad.

pic1

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, AdoptUSKids and the Ad Council are unveiling a new series of public service advertisements (PSAs) today designed to continue to encourage the adoption of children from foster care with an emphasis on the importance of keeping siblings together.

Since the launch of the campaign in 2004, more than 22,000 children who were once photo-listed on the AdoptUSKids website are now with their adoptive families and over 35,000 families have registered to adopt through AdoptUSKids.

There are currently 402,000 children in the foster care system in the United States of America and nearly 102,000 children (under 18 years of age) waiting for adoption. Approximately 23% of children and youth actively photolisted on the AdoptUSKids website and waiting for placement in adoptive homes were registered with one or more siblings. Sibling relationships are often the longest-lasting relationships for children in foster care.

“Adopting Deanta and Ranija is the most important thing that I have done in my life,” said Raenell Crenshaw, an adoptive parent who adopted her two children out of foster care, “I am so glad that my husband and I were able to keep them together. Having a brother or sister is such an influential and life-defining relationship. I want to encourage all prospective parents to think about the importance of keeping siblings together. I am so happy that I welcomed them both into our family.”

How can you help?

For more information about adoption, or about becoming an adoptive parent to a child from foster care, please visit www.AdoptUSKids.org or visit the campaign’s communities on Facebook and Twitter.

Speak Your Mind