It’s fitting that it’s in November because Thanksgiving is coming up soon. This is a time of the year where we all express what we are grateful for. Thanksgiving is all about spending time with family, which leads right into the idea of adoption.
Families grow and traditions change, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. As an introduction, we will be giving some history and facts on National Adoption Awareness Month.
The journey started in 1976, when “Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis announced an Adoption Week to promote awareness of the need for adoptive families for children in foster care”.
The journey didn’t start here and instead went national: in 1984, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first National Adoption Week. Two presidential successors later, this National Adoption Awareness Week became National Adoption Awareness Month after President Bill Clinton expanded the program in 1995.
Just a few years more into his presidency, President Clinton took action and directed the Department of Health and Human Services to “develop a plan to expand the use of the Internet as a tool to find homes for children waiting to be adopted from foster care”.
Ten years later, in 2008, President George W. Bush provided an explanation of this Month Awareness in Spanish.
Well there you have it: a brief history of National Adoption Awareness Month. We will be writing more adoption articles this month, specifically related to National Adoption Awareness Month. After all, November only comes once a year and adoptions create life-long memories.
If you’ve considered adoption, please reach out to us. At Southern Oaks Law Firm, family and adoption lawyer Taylor Fontenot’s goal is to guide you through the process as painlessly as possible. When it comes to the laws that govern Louisiana adoptions, trying to find a quick and simple answer can be frustrating. Trying to decipher what a specific adoption statute means can be overwhelming and confusing. Call 337-704-7255 or email Taylor today.