November Is National Adoption Awareness Month: Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Encourages Adoption of Children Waiting in Foster Care

November Is National Adoption Awareness Month: Dave Thomas Foundation for
Adoption Encourages Adoption of Children Waiting in Foster Care

DUBLIN, Ohio, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- All children deserve a loving,
permanent home. This is the premise of National Adoption Awareness Month,
founded in 1990 to increase the number of children adopted from U.S. foster
care and celebrate the unique joys of creating families through foster care
adoption.

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption encourages families to open their
hearts and homes to children waiting to be adopted. Research conducted by
Harris Interactive and commissioned by the Foundation(1) suggests Americans'
misperceptions may act as a barrier to foster care adoption. A surprising
number of Americans underestimate the number of children waiting for adoptive
families, believe children in foster care entered because of juvenile
delinquency and do not know foster care adoption is affordable and permanent.

The facts:
-- Children enter the foster care system through no fault of their own.
As
victims of abuse, neglect and/or abandonment, they are removed from
their homes because their birth families are unable or unwilling to
provide a safe environment for them.
-- More than 129,000 children in the U.S. foster care system are
available
for adoption. Their parents' legal rights have been permanently
terminated and children are left without a family.
-- Children often wait five or more years to be adopted, can move three
or
more times in foster care and are frequently separated from siblings.
More than half of these children are nine years of age or older.
-- Each year, more than 20,000 children available for adoption turn 18
and
leave the foster care system without a family.
-- Adopting from foster care is affordable. Most child welfare agencies
cover the costs of home studies and court fees, and provide
post-adoption subsidies. Thousands of employers offer benefits for
employees who adopt and adoption tax credits are available to most
families.
-- Every child is adoptable. Many children in foster care have special
needs. All of them deserve the chance to grow up in a safe, loving,
permanent home. Post-adoption resources are available.

-- Adopting from foster care is permanent. Once a child is adopted out of
foster care, the birth parents cannot attempt to claim them or fight
in
court for their return.

"Every child deserves a family," says Rita Soronen, executive director of the
Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. "There is a critical need for Americans
to become aware and involved. Everyone can make a difference - either by
adopting a child from foster care or by supporting the work of agencies
finding forever families for waiting children. We offer a myriad of free
resources, including a step-by-step guide for those considering adoption and a
foster care adoption awareness toolkit for those willing to advocate in their
community. We are also proud of our relationship with Wendy's as they work to
encourage foster care adoption through in-store awareness campaigns this
month, fundraising and volunteering across North America."

Learn more or order the Foundation's free materials at
www.DaveThomasFoundationForAdoption.org or 1-800-ASK-DTFA.

About the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a national nonprofit public charity
dedicated to dramatically increasing the adoptions of the more than 150,000
children waiting in North America's foster care systems. Created by Wendy's(R)
founder, Dave Thomas, who was adopted, the Foundation implements
results-driven national signature programs, foster care adoption awareness
initiatives and research-based advocacy efforts.

(1) National Foster Care Adoption Attitudes Survey, November 2007, conducted
by Harris Interactive and commissioned by the Dave Thomas Foundation for
Adoption.

SOURCE Dave Thomas Foundation For Adoption

Rita Soronen, Executive Director, Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption,
+1-614-764-8482, Rita_soronen@davethomasfoundation.org