FCCS and Dave Thomas Foundation Celebrate National Adoption Day

Recognizing that children never outgrow the need for family and a permanent sense of belonging, Franklin County Children Services, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, and the Probate Division of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas honored National Adoption Day on Wednesday, November 8, by celebrating the finalization of adoptions of seven children from foster care - many of whom are teenagers.

November is National Adoption Month, a time to spotlight the importance of children of all ages having safe, loving, and permanent families.

“Adoption today is quite different from years past,” said FCCS Executive Director Chip Spinning. “Family structures have changed to include divorced parents, single parents, and LGBTQIA+ individuals and families. That’s why we work closely with community partners and provider agencies to connect dozens of adoption-eligible youth with permanent families each year.

“The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a co-founder of National Adoption Day, which has recognized the adoptions of more than 75,000 children from foster care and counting across the United States,” said Rita Soronen, President & CEO of the Foundation. “We have been honored to be a part of National Adoption Day celebrations with Franklin County Children Services over the years and partner with them to find forever families for the longest-waiting children in foster care across Ohio. But we are especially excited to celebrate with the children and families finalizing their adoptions today.”

In Franklin County, a majority of the children waiting for forever homes are ages 10 and older, often in sibling groups who need to stay together, and children who have special needs.

Through adoption, older children are connected to a family that can provide a sense of stability, lasting connections, and guidance with important life tasks such as enrolling in higher education, finding stable housing, securing employment, and establishing healthy relationships.

“Right now, FCCS has more than 250 children in agency custody who are available for adoption. Fortunately, more than half of those children are matched with families and in the process of adoption,” shared Raquel Breckenridge, FCCS Family Services Director over Permanency. “Still, that means about 85 children are seeking a permanent family, and we hope celebrating National Adoption Month will be a spark to make connections.”

During National Adoption Day, FCCS and the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption joined Franklin County Probate Judge Jeffrey Mackey and his staff of magistrates - along with several volunteer adoption attorney - to celebrate the court’s final placement of children to forever homes. This year, seven children were placed with six permanent families - and four of those youth are teenagers (two of them will be turning 18 in the next few months.)

Through the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program, the Foundation supports the hiring of adoption professionals at FCCS who implement an evidence-based, child-focused recruitment model to find the right family for every child in their care. This model has been proven to be up to three times more effective at serving youth who have been in foster care the longest, including teenagers, children with special needs, and siblings. 

The FCCS Adoption Team has made it easier for families to virtually meet some of the children seeking a permanent home. Profiles of the teens approved for adoption here in Franklin County - and more information for families who want to consider becoming adoptive parents - can be found on the FCCS website at www.fccs.us/adoption. 

Want to learn more about the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption?

Based here in Central Ohio, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a national nonprofit public charity dedicated to finding permanent homes for the more than 140,000 children waiting in North America’s foster care systems. Created by Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas who was adopted, the Foundation implements evidence-based, results-driven national service programs, foster care adoption awareness campaigns and innovative grantmaking. To learn more, visit davethomasfoundation.org. 

National Adoption Day is a collective, grassroots effort to raise awareness of the more than 113,000 children waiting to be adopted from foster care in the United States. 

A coalition of national partners - the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, Alliance for Children’s Rights and Children’s Action Network - launched National Adoption Day in 1999. During this annual event, courts and organizations in more than 400 communities across the country have opened their doors on or around the Saturday before Thanksgiving to finalize and celebrate adoptions from foster care. 

To date, National Adoption Day has recognized more than 75,000 children in the United States moving from foster care to a forever family.

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