The following is President Barack Obama's Presidential Proclamation for National Adoption Month:
Washington, D.C.--(ENEWSPF)--November 1, 2010.
"Giving a child
a strong foundation -- a home, a family to love, and a safe place to
grow -- is one of life's greatest and most generous gifts. Through
adoption, both domestic and international, Americans from across our
country have provided secure environments for children who need them,
and these families have benefited from the joy an adopted child can
bring.
Thanks to their nurturing and care, more young people have been
able to realize their potential and lead full, happy lives. This
year, we celebrate National Adoption Month to recognize adoption as a
positive and powerful force in countless American lives, and to
encourage the adoption of children from foster care.
Currently,
thousands of children await adoption or are in foster care, looking
forward to permanent homes. These children can thrive, reach their full
potential, and spread their wings when given the loving and firm
foundation of family.
Adoptive families come in many forms, and choose
to adopt for different reasons: a desire to grow their family when
conceiving a child is not possible, an expression of compassion for a
child who would otherwise not have a permanent family, or simply
because adoption has personally touched their lives. For many
Americans, adoption has brought boundless purpose and joy to their
lives. We must do all we can to break down barriers to ensure that all
qualified caregivers have the ability to serve as adoptive families.
This
year, on November 20, families, adoption advocates, policymakers,
judges, and volunteers will celebrate the 11th annual National Adoption
Day in communities large and small. National Adoption Day is a day of
hope and happiness when courthouses finalize the adoptions of children
out of foster care. Last year, Health and Human Services Secretary
Kathleen Sebelius was honored to preside over a ceremony celebrating
two foster care adoptions as part of my Administration's support for
this important day.
Adoptive families are shining examples of the
care and concern that define our great Nation. To support adoption in
our communities, my Administration is working with States to support
families eager to provide for children in need of a place to call
home. The landmark Affordable Care Act increases and improves the
Adoption Tax Credit, enabling adoption to be more affordable and
accessible.
As part of the Adoption Incentives program, States
can also receive awards for increasing adoptions and the number of
children adopted from foster care. AdoptUsKids, a project of the
Department of Health and Human Services, offers technical support to
States, territories, and tribes to recruit and retain foster and
adoptive families; provides information and assistance to families
considering adoption; and supports parents already on that journey. I
encourage all Americans to visit AdoptUsKids.org or
ChildWelfare.gov/Adoption for information and resources on adoption,
including adoption from foster care.
As we observe National
Adoption Month, we honor the loving embrace of adoptive families and
the affirming role of adoption in the lives of American families and
our country. Let us all commit to supporting our children in any way
that we are able -- whether opening our hearts and homes through
adoption, becoming foster parents to provide quality temporary care to
children in crisis, supporting foster and adoptive families in our
communities and places of worship, mentoring young people in need of
guidance, or donating time to helping children in need. Working
together, we can shape a future of hope and promise for all of our
Nation's children.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of
the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me
by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby
proclaim November 2010 as National Adoption Month. I call upon all
Americans to observe this month by answering the call to find homes for
every child in America in need of a permanent and caring family, as
well as to support the families who care for them.
IN WITNESS
WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of November, in the
year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth."
BARACK OBAMA
