National Adoption Month is a time for adoptees, adoptive parents, professionals and advocates to celebrate adoption and remind others that many children are still waiting for a permanent, loving family of their own.
There are currently over 7,000 children in foster care or custody of the Department of Human Resources in Alabama. Of these children, more than 700 are legally available for adoption. Approximately 400 of these children will be adopted by their current foster parents. However, the remaining 300 are waiting for a forever family to call their own.
Alabama’s Waiting Children cannot live with their birth families due to a history of abuse or neglect. Some have varying degrees of mental, physical or emotional problems. They are all ages and come from all ethnic and economic groups.
Other information about these children:
More than 60% are male.
More than 55% are of African-American Heritage.
Nearly 30% are over the age of thirteen.
Every child desires a permanent home, and when parents adopt a child to love as their own, lives are forever changed. For parents, the decision to adopt a child is among life's greatest and happiest turning points.
As we honor these individuals we encourage more Alabamians to consider adopting young people of all ages.
To learn more about how you might make a difference in the life of one of these children, please click here.
To learn more about National Adoption Month click here.