At an event that took place on Wednesday, November 12 the adoption advocacy group Voice for Adoption launched their 10th annual Adoptive Family Portrait Project.  The annual Capitol Hill event honors families formed through adoption from foster care.

To launch the project, family photos and adoption stories are displayed at a reception.  During the Month, participating members of Congress display in their Washington DC offices the photos and stories of constituent adoptive families. The primary goal of the project is to raise awareness among members of Congress about the 102,000 children in foster care who are waiting to be adopted and the nearly 23,000 who “age-out” of foster care without permanent supports each year.

The families that are part of the campaign and Capitol Hill event, share their stories about making adoption possible.  Their short stories tell a long narrative about where achievements have been made, and where progress is still needed.  The effort allows members of Congress to identify the policy issues that face their constituent families. It also allows them to use their positions to bring attention to the need for more committed families for children who are in foster care waiting to be adopted.

“Witnessing hope restored in a child who once lost it is something that adoptive families from foster care often get to experience. In many ways adoptive parents are heroes. While the good parents will never claim that title, they are the ones that earn it, because getting a child to overcome and heal from hurt is a tough, yet necessary job that is undervalued and overlooked.  Today we celebrate loving and caring adoptive families, the unsung heroes,” said Nicole Dobbins, VFA’s Executive Director.

At the reception VFA honored ten members of Congress with a special VFA medal, recognizing their “Legislative Championship” on behalf of children in foster care and adoptive families. Two of the ten received “Lifetime Achievement” awards for their career work which will end with this Congress. The two recipients and retiring members are Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-VW) and Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA).

For more information Visit Voice for Adoption online: www.voice-for-adoption.org

 

November is National Adoption Month—Read the Presidential Proclamation