The Spark Change Ambassadors of the GLOW Together Foundation brought awareness to the beautiful gift of Adoption in support of National Adoption Awareness Month.
Initiative Details
In honor of National Adoption Awareness, our Ambassadors shared different ways for our communities to show their support, connect with incredible organizations doing amazing work for our children, and inspire others to get involved.
"Because a home is not built with blood, but with love."
National Adoption Awareness Month
The goal of National Adoption Awareness Month is "to increase national awareness of the need for permanent families for children and youth in the U.S. foster care system.
Every November, the Children's Bureau leads this initiative by way of a collaborative partnership between Child Welfare Information Gateway and AdoptUSKids. These organizations support activities that promote the adoption of children and youth from foster care into their forever and loving homes. The Spark Change Ambassadors were so honored to support all of these organizations and bring awareness to the incredible work they do all year long."
Engage Youth:
Listen and Learn
This year's National Adoption Month theme is "Engage Youth: Listen and Learn." It is well known that teenagers are less likely to be adopted, often because of their age, and are much more likely to age out of foster care without strong or stable family support.
According to the most recent AFCARS report, there are over 122,000 children and youth waiting to be adopted who are at risk of aging out of foster care without permanent family connections. Allowing these teens and young adults to share their experiences by providing a national platform, not only offered unique insights and real world perspective on how to best serve them, but also showed that they are not forgotten and their voice matters.
According to the most recent AFCARS report,
approximately one in five children in the US foster care system waiting to be adopted are teens.
only 5% of all children adopted in 2019 were 15-18 years old.
the risk of homelessness and human trafficking is increased for teenagers in foster care.
of the 122,000 children and youth waiting to be adopted,
52% are male
48% are female
22% are African American
22% are Hispanic
44% are White
the average age is eight years old
11% percent are between 15 and 18 years old
average time in foster care is 31 months
"Chosen, wanted, cherished, loved, prayed for... adopted!"
One of our Ambassador's Stories
Each of our initiatives is selected and voted on by our Spark Change Ambassadors, and this one was especially important to one of our youngest, Lauren Avery Wallace. Lauren is a huge advocate for adoption, and serves this cause all year long. Her family was made complete through adoption, and she has experienced personally the blessings received when opening your home and heart. She has spoken on numerous stages as well as lead several fundraisers, drives, and volunteer projects for a variety of organizations within her state of Kentucky. Our Ambassadors were so excited to lock arms with her and support the big impact of her efforts.
Community
There are so many ways for everyone to get involved and bring awareness. Here are a few of our favorite ways to celebrate National Adoption Awareness Month.
Share YOUR Story
Donate to Credited Agencies
Support Adoptive Parents
Start a Drive/Project
Bring Awareness/Educate
Impact
The Spark Change Ambassadors were so honored to bring Adoption Awareness to our communities in support of the efforts of Children’s Bureau, AdoptUSKids and
Child Welfare Information Gateway. We are so thankful for all the support of our communities in sharing the important resources provided by these organizations and many more. This cause touches so many lives, and the biggest message we hope to spread is,
'while every family is made differently, the key ingredient is always LOVE!!!'
If you are interested in joining this incredible team and becoming a Spark Change Ambassadors, please click here to learn more and to complete your application. If you have any questions or would like to discuss if the Spark Change Ambassador Program is right for you, please email us at info@glowtogetherfoundation.com.