To the Editor:
To the Editor:
November is National Adoption Month. It raises awareness about the urgent need for adoptive families and celebrates the families formed through adoption.
In addition to finding homes for these adoptive children and teens, this month honors all those who shape their community: birth parents, social workers, adoptive parents and everyone who makes an effort to positively impact their lives by helping them build supportive, enduring relationships.
In addition to babies and toddlers, there is a significant need for adoptive families for older youth who face significant challenges in finding a permanent family. Research indicates that youth who age out of foster care without a secure and supportive family are at greater risk for adverse outcomes, including homelessness and PTSD, rivaling that of returning combat veterans.
Securing lifelong connections for these older children, both legally and emotionally, is critical in determining their future achievement, health and well-being. I believe that every community has at least one family or individual ready to open their heart and home to a child in need.
As a parent to an adopted daughter, I know I am the one who has felt the most happiness from the adoption experience. Children’s experiences are often more nuanced, with many adopted children struggling to feel joy while also feeling the loss of their first family and first identity.
My daughter is my pride and joy. She is a fantastic individual now in her young adult years, and she rests in the knowledge that she will always have my unwavering love and support.
Please consider adoption. I cannot promise you that the journey will be easy, but I can promise you that it will be worth it. And remember, “Adopting one child won’t change the world, but for that child, the world will change.”
Tom Moore
Woodbury
