Shannon Kelly, Adoption Program Manager | Children’s Aid Society in Clearfield County November 2019
National Adoption Month did not begin as a month long celebration of adoption, but rather was celebrated during one week out of the year, beginning in 1976 in Massachusetts. In November 1984, President Reagan proclaimed the first National Adoption Week. As more and more states began participating in Adoption Week activities that could not be accomplished in just one week, President Clinton proclaimed November as National Adoption Month in 1995. Since that time National Adoption Month has grown as families can celebrate and bring awareness to adoption, the hundreds of thousands of children in foster care throughout the United States and agencies that make resources available for those touched by adoption.
The Adoption Program of Children’s Aid Society is hosting our Annual Adoption Matching Event on Wednesday, November 13th from 5:30-7:30pm at Luigi’s Villa in DuBois to celebrate National Adoption Month. Adoption and foster care agencies from across the state are invited to the event to set up a table display with a board, flyers, and more highlighting the waiting children they work with that are in need of permanent homes. Waiting children are invited to attend to participate in Matching Moments and meet
prospective families, and families are invited to learn more about and meet waiting children. Our greatest hope is that through this event, waiting children and families are able to meet face-to-face, get to know one another, and potential matches are made to provide these fantastic children with their forever families!
Each attendee will receive an informational packet that includes information about Children’s Aid Society’s Adoption Program, as well as a giveaway bag to keep flyers and other giveaway items about waiting children. Fun and interactive activity stations will be set up throughout the facility for children and families to participate in. Everyone will have the opportunity to enter their names into a drawing to win terrific raffle baskets and will hear one family’s story of foster care to adoption. Finally, we will have resource tables highlighting Children’s Aid Society’s Youth Mentoring, Positive Parenting Program, Parents As Teachers and Real Relationships relationship education program. Each of these programs could provide foster and adoptive families with strategies to keep their personal relationships strong as they add to their family, as well as effective parenting skills as they raise their children.
For more information or to RSVP to this amazing event, please contact Shannon Kelly, Adoption Program Manager, at (814) 765-2686 ext. 205 or adoption@childaid.org.