National Adoption Month: An Overview

National Adoption Month: An Overview The need for loving, adoptive families for children, in San Antonio and elsewhere, remains constant throughout the year.

However, every year, adoption agencies, adoptive families, and others devote the month of November in particular to raising awareness about adoption. Known as National Adoption Month and annually enshrined as such by the President, November provides a full month in which the needs of children waiting for adoption and the benefits of adoption can be highlighted. Whether these efforts be focused on debunking myths, spreading awareness, telling stories, or finalizing adoptions, they make a tangible difference for the hundreds of thousands of children awaiting forever families.

History The origins of National Adoption Month lie in the annual National Adoption Week established by Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis in 1976. Dukakis' goal was to set aside one week each year for raising awareness about the need for older child adoption from the foster case system.

While the week began as a state effort, it soon gained in popularity and spread to other states as well. By 1984, the week was being celebrated in numerous states, and, that year, President Ronald Reagan officially enshrined the week as a national effort.

Over the next 11 years, the movement grew even more popular. The number of events and initiatives that were organized around National Adoption Week became so

numerous that more time was needed to accommodate all of the activity. As a result, in 1995, President Bill Clinton proclaimed that November would be National Adoption Month.

Every year since then, the President has proclaimed November to be National Adoption Month as adoption advocates all over the nation organize and execute initiatives for raising awareness about adoption.

Over time, the Internet and social media have become powerful tools for spreading adoption awareness. In addition, numerous national and local efforts take place all month. The highlight of the month is National Adoption Day, when thousands of adoptions are finalized in courthouses around the nation, and numerous other adoption-related events and celebrations occur.

Purpose The purpose of National Adoption Month is the same as it was when it was originally founded as National Adoption Week in 1976: To raise awareness of the needs of children waiting for their forever families. To this end, events and campaigns focus on a number of goals. Following are just a few of these goals: To debunk myths surrounding adoption, to bring waiting children to the attention of adoptive families, to educate the public about the benefits of adoption, to finalize adoptions already in progress, and to encourage legislation intended to make adoption easier.

Annual Theme In addition, each year is given its own unique theme that drives the specific efforts made during November. For instance, the theme of National Adoption Month in 2014 was “Promoting and Supporting Sibling Connections,” and efforts focused on shining a light on sibling relationships in adoption.

The theme for 2015 is “We Never Outgrow the Need for Family.” This theme focuses on the needs of older children in the foster care system, specifically children between15 and 18 years of age. The theme was announced in response to the fact that 23,000 children aged out of the foster care system last year, without ever being adopted, and in response to the more than 80,000 older children currently waiting in the foster care system.

This year's efforts will be focused on raising awareness about the needs of these children who, though older, will benefit from a forever family just as much as do younger children.

The hope is to encourage more families to consider older child adoption as a viable option for building their forever families.

National Adoption Month Activities There are an almost unlimited number of ways to celebrate National Adoption Month. These can range from major events (such as the finalizing of adoptions that takes place during National Adoption Day), to individual conversations and social media posts. In between, there are numerous efforts organized by individuals, adoption agencies, adoptive families,

and adoptees designed to raise awareness about adoption and celebrate adoption. At times, these efforts are public (for instance, letters to newspapers, campaigning for certain legislation, gatherings). At other times, they are more private (for instance, talking with friends and family, discussing adoption as a family, reading books about adoption with children). Together, these efforts combine to create more openness around the topic of adoption.

How to Participate You can participate in National Adoption Month in any one of a number of ways. They can be as involved as pursuing an older child adoption yourself to as simple as including adoption information in your email signature. If you want to learn more about how to participate, you can talk to a local adoption agency, check Facebook for events, or look online for ideas and events. By doing so, you can raise awareness about adoption yourself and help to change the lives of children awaiting adoption.

Adoption is a valuable gift for any child waiting for a forever family. By raising awareness about the beauty and benefits of adoption, by bringing these children to the forefront of others' minds, and by helping to facilitate the conversation about adoption, you help to make adoption more understandable and more appealing to others. National Adoption Month provides a unique and powerful opportunity to join with other adoption advocates to discuss and promote adoption as the beautiful gift it is.