Each year, November is recognized as “National Adoption Awareness Month” and it is something that is really close to my heart, as I am adopted.
For those of you wondering, I was adopted at birth and my parents chose to talk about my being adopted from as early as I can remember. I was so blessed to find my way to two parents who love and support me and have given me such an incredible life. It is so important to me to pay that forward and discuss adoption whenever possible as a viable option for people looking to start a family, and I am really proud to lend support to an organization near my hometown that does wonderful things for children who are waiting to find their families.
Hephzibah’s Group Homes provide a warm and nurturing environment for children who have been traumatized by abuse, neglect, multiple foster care placements or failed adoptions. Their family-based services renew and strengthen family bonds and their foster care services create new, loving and secure family ties. Hephzibah’s daycare program offers an award-winning educational experience for children in the community- regardless of their family’s ability to pay. Learn more on their website by clicking here.
Throughout the month of November at both of my family’s Gene & Georgetti Restaurants will be celebrating National Adoption Awareness Month by donating a portion of proceeds from desserts ordered to Hephzibah. We also accept donations throughout the month as well!
All children deserve loving, permanent homes. National Adoption Awareness Month is a nationwide campaign to encourage families throughout the United States and Canada to open their hearts and homes to children in foster care who are waiting to be adopted.
Today, more than 114,000 children in the U.S. foster care system are available for adoption. These children entered foster care through no fault of their own, as victims of child abuse, neglect or abandonment and their parents legal rights have been terminated.
Each year, more children enter the system than are adopted. The typical child who has been freed for adoption is at least 8 years old, moves three or more times in foster care, may have been separated from siblings, and will wait five years or more to be adopted. Tragically, tens of thousands will never be adopted and will leave the system at age 18 without families.
National Adoption Awareness Month, celebrated annually since 1990, works to increase the number of families willing to consider foster care adoption and celebrates the unique joys of creating families through foster care adoption.
So come in, enjoy a sweet treat and support a great cause!