Adoption Awareness Month

By virtue of the authority vested by the Constitution of Virginia in the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, there is hereby officially recognized:

Adoption Awareness Month

WHEREAS, the health and safety of all Virginians is important to the happiness, prosperity, and well-being of our Commonwealth's families and communities; and

WHEREAS, every child in Virginia, regardless of physical, medical or emotional challenges, age or race, needs a family for love, support, security, and a place to call home; and

WHEREAS, children can thrive, reach their full potential, and spread their wings when given the loving and firm foundation of family - a family with a desire to parent a child who would otherwise not have permanency in their lives; and

WHEREAS, in addition to adoption from foster care, many Virginians have chosen other adoption options to build their families including international and private adoptions; and

WHEREAS, it is important for every child - who cannot be raised by a birth parent, relative, or fictive kin - to have a permanent home, and children have better outcomes when they are raised in loving families; and

WHEREAS, there are over 4,800 children in Virginia's foster care program and approximately 800 children have the goal of adoption and are currently available for placement in an adoptive home; and

WHEREAS, many older youths who live in foster care desire to be adopted, just as many siblings who are separated in foster care long to be adopted by the same family, and all these children want a sense of belonging that adoptive parents can provide; and

WHEREAS, community partners, such as Virginia's Kids Belong, have provided much needed exposure to the stories of waiting children throughout the Commonwealth, and these endeavors can continue their unprecedented successes in finding loving and permanent homes;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize NOVEMBER 2024, as ADOPTION AWARENESS MONTH in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.