Alabama DHR adoption professionals, advocates, parents, children and others interested in finding forever homes for Alabama’s Waiting Children gathered November 12th at the Birmingham Museum of Art to celebrate National Adoption Awareness Month.
The celebration, held in conjunction with the inaugural opening of Heart Gallery Alabama, began with the reading of the National Adoption Month proclamation (http://naic.acf.hhs.gov/general/adoptmonth/proclam.cfm) issued by President George W. Bush. The reading was followed by the presentation of the Adoption Month Proclamation issued by Governor Bob Riley.
In addition to Alabama DHR professionals; parents and advocates from Alabama Post Adoption Connection (APAC) , Alabama Foster & Adoptive Parent Association (AFAPA) , and AdoptUsKids’ Recruitment Response Team (RRT) participated in the ceremony.
According to the North American Council on Adoptable Children, National Adoption Awareness 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 6,000 children in foster care in the State of Alabama. Of these children approximately 640 are legally available for adoption. Nearly 380 of these children will be adopted by their current foster parents. However, the remaining 260 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 50% are male
More than 60% are of African-American Heritage
More than 60% are over the age of ten.
To learn more about how you might make a difference in the life of one of these children, please click here.
For more information about Heart Gallery Alabama and the National Heart Gallery please click here.