Focusing on Foster Care Adoption

COLUMBUS, Ohio, November 7, 2016/3BL Media/ - All children deserve loving, permanent homes. That is the motivation behind the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption’s celebration of National Adoption Month -- a nationwide campaign that focuses on foster care adoption.

There are 107,000 children in the U.S. foster care system 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. According to the U.S. government, the average age of a child in foster care waiting to be adopted is 8 years old and the average length of time spent in foster care before being adopted is nearly three years. Tragically, more than 20,000 children will leave the system without families each and every year.

National Adoption Month, celebrated annually since 1995, works to increase the number of families willing to consider adoption and celebrates the unique joys of creating families through adoption. This year’s campaign is specifically focused on the unique needs of teenagers in foster care who are waiting to be adopted. The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, through its signature program Wendy’s Wonderful Kids (WWK), works closely with teenagers waiting to be adopted from foster care. Using a child-focused recruitment model, WWK recruiters work to find families for these older youth, along with other children in danger of aging out without a family.

 “We believe every child deserves a permanent home and a loving family and that is why we are actively encouraging people to consider foster care adoption,” said President & CEO of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Rita Soronen. “There is a critical need for Americans to become aware and involved. Everyone can make a difference – either by adopting a child from foster care, or by supporting the work of non-profit agencies, or even mentoring a waiting child. Together, we can provide the love and stability that these children and youth deserve.”

For more information about foster care adoption, call the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption at

1-800-ASK-DTFA, or order the free adoption guide at davethomasfoundation.org/free-resources/

About The Dave Thomas Foundation
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a national nonprofit public charity dedicated exclusively to finding permanent homes for the more than 130,000 children waiting in North America’s foster care systems. Created by Wendy’s® founder Dave Thomas who was adopted, the Foundation implements evidence-based, results-driven national service programs, foster care adoption awareness campaigns and innovative grantmaking. To learn more, visit davethomasfoundation.org or call 1-800-ASK-DTFA.