National Adoption Month – November
Every year, each November is recognized as National Adoption Awareness Month. The main focus is the adoption of children currently in foster care, although all adoption-related issues are important.
The first major effort to promote awareness for the dire need for adoptive families for children in the foster care system occurred in Massachusetts. In 1976, then-Governor Mike Dukakis proclaimed Adoption Week, and the idea then grew in popularity and spread throughout the nation. President Gerald Ford was the first to make the National Adoption Week proclamation. In 1990, the week was then extended to a month due to the number of states participating and the number of events that came along with it.
During the month, different states, communities, public, and private organizations, families, businesses, and individuals celebrate adoption as a positive way to build families. Activities and observances such as recognition dinners, public awareness, recruitment campaigns, and other special events highlight the needs of children who need permanent families all across the nation. This month also includes National Adoption Day, which is traditionally a Saturday, observed in courthouses across the nation as thousands of adoptions are finalized simultaneously.
Useful For: Any person or business looking to get more involved in the community or has a passion for finding foster kids’ homes.
Outcome: Spread awareness of this exciting month and all of its possibilities.
Promotional Ideas:
- Write your local representatives a letter saying how important National Adoption Month is and how thankful you are that it exists.
- Light a candle in your business to commemorate the month and encourage dedication for those lives adoption has touched.
- Create a station for people passing by or coming into your store to make a card about National Adoption Month to send to adopted children or those still waiting for families.
- Collect donations for local adoption agencies and foster families.
Bottom Line: Take this important month and spread awareness of how needed adopted families are and how many children are stuck in the foster system.
For a list of the most common awareness colors and their corresponding causes, see The Awareness Color Definition Guide.