Observing Adoption Awareness Month

Floor Speech

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Mr. KING. Mr. President, each November we celebrate National Adoption Awareness Month to recognize the families that choose to adopt and the organizations that support them. During this month, we honor those who welcome these children into their homes and hearts, help them to grow to their full potential, and give them a better future. Today I would like to draw attention to the importance of adoption and raise awareness about youth in foster care programs, especially in Maine.

There are over 400,000 children in the foster care system, many of them waiting and hoping that the right family will come to adopt them. While many of these children are successfully returned to their birth parents and relatives, almost half are left in the system to fend for themselves. The absence of a stable family structure can be disastrous for children who are still developing psychologically and are trying to find their way in the world.

This issue has very real impacts on the future of these children and our society as a whole. Young adults who age out of the foster care system before being placed with a family are at a significantly higher risk for homelessness, incarceration, and unemployment. Alternatively, children who are adopted from foster care are more likely to achieve academic success and emotional security than their counterparts who remain in foster care. Nearly 80 percent of Americans, myself included, believe that more should be done to encourage adoption; yet, each year, tens of thousands of available children remain in the system, without families. Every child deserves to grow up in a permanent, safe, and loving home. This month, as we thank all those who have opened their hearts and homes to these children, we must acknowledge that there is still much work ahead of us.

I am proud of the important roles Maine citizens have played in promoting adoption awareness. Adoptive & Foster Families of Maine, Inc., AFFM, has been instrumental in helping children find the security they deserve and in providing support to the families who welcome them into their homes. Fostering or adopting a child can be an emotional process, and AFFM offers many services to all Maine adoptive families, including support groups, resource mentors, material goods, and a referral database for legal matters and mental health support. The adoption process is an emotional, transformative, and sometimes even stressful time for children and for their new families; therefore, the services provided by AFFM are an integral aspect of cultivating safe, joyful adoptions across the State. I have witnessed their hard work in action, and I am proud of all they have done for families and children across Maine.

My wife, Mary, and I have been blessed with two adoptions. I know firsthand what an amazing process adoption can be. Our experience would not have been possible without the loving support of our family, friends and community. Mary and I have been so fortunate with the joy all of our children bring to our lives every day, and I am proud to celebrate National Adoption Awareness Month.

I would like to recognize and thank Adoptive & Foster Families of Maine, Inc., and all others who facilitate adoptions throughout the country and make it possible for children in foster care to find their forever homes. Selfless, caring individuals and programs like AFFM help bring children one step closer to their dreams. They offer the hope of love and security to future generations, and for that, they deserve our immense gratitude.

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