November is National Adoption Month. Yes, but what does that mean!? Each year, November is recognized as National Adoption Awareness Month. While the first major effort was established to promote awareness of the need for adoptive families and adoption of children in foster care, it has grown to include all adoption-related issues. Since 1976 when Governor Mike Dukakis initiated Adoption Week, National Adoption Month has grown in popularity and spread throughout the nation!
President Gerald Ford later made the first National Adoption Week proclamation, and in 1990, the week was expanded to a month due to the number of states participating and the number of events celebrating and promoting adoption.
During the month, states, communities, public and private organizations, businesses, families, and individuals celebrate adoption as a positive way to build families. Activities and observances across the nation, such as recognition dinners, public awareness and recruitment campaigns, and special events shed light on children who are in need of permanent families.
The month also includes National Adoption Day, traditionally a Saturday, which is observed in courthouses across the nation, where thousands of adoptions are finalized simultaneously.
November is the perfect opportunity to make sure adoption is easy to talk about in your home, at your organization, and amongst your friends. We encourage you to embrace National Adoption Awareness Month and serve as champions of adoption every day!
How can I celebrate National Adoption Month?
There are so many opportunities to educate ourselves and others about adoption and about issues surrounding adoption. We invite all our friends to promote awareness through events and campaigns, social media posts, gatherings and celebrations, and simple everyday activities.
- Tell people about it! Don’t be ashamed, don’t hide in secrecy, CELEBRATE adoption!!
- Tell your adoption story.
- Share a profile link for a family hoping to adopt.
- Share infographics on your social media outlets to help increase public knowledge about adoption.
- Update your Facebook cover photo with an Adoption Awareness Month photo.
- Use the hashtag #nationaladoptionmonth when posting to social media.
- Join an online adoption support group.
- Read! Learn and educate!
- Read a book or blog about adoption.
- Read the National Adoption Month proclamations as a family; share it with your friends.
- Watch a birth parent panel discussion.
- Show your birth parents or adoptive family love.
- Write a thank you note and send a care package to your child’s birth parents.
- Write a thank you note to your caseworker or attorney.
- Send your birth mother a gift.
- Schedule a Skype or Facetime conversation with your child’s birth parents.
- Family Time!!
- Cook a traditional meal from your child’s heritage.
- Family movie night featuring a movie with adoption themes.
- Make your family an adoption-oriented playlist. Have an amazing family dance party!
- Provide community support.
- Make a financial donation to your favorite adoption organization.
- Surprise a local foster family with a meal or gift cards.
- Donate adoption-themed books to the library at your child’s school.
- Collect needed items for your local foster care organization. Involve your community and bring awareness to the need.
- Bring awareness to the thousands of children waiting for adoption.
- Participate in an adoption awareness walk.
- Donate time or financial support to a birth parent support group.
- Start an adoption play group in your area.
- Make a special trip to Wendy’s and donate to their adoption program.
- Get creative…
- Create or purchase a piece of adoption art for your home.
- Share the adoption triad symbol with friends and teach them the significance and why it is important.
- Be an adoption Fashionista
- Sport your favorite adoption t-shirt.
- Purchase a sweet adoption t-shirt for your child to wear. Check out etsy, the options are awesome! Or look for one on AdoptionGifts.com.
- Encourage your employer to offer adoption benefits similar to those offered to biological parents. Some fortune 500 companies even offer adoption subsidies. Do research and meet with your office’s Human Resources department.
We want to spend the entire month of November sharing your stories and your celebration ideas. Please message us with your photos, stories, and ideas. Thank you and Happy National Adoption Month!!
