by Doug Sloey, Founder Blair Hope for Families
In 1976, Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis announced an Adoption Week to promote awareness of the need for adoptive families for children in foster care. In 1984, President Reagan proclaimed the first National Adoption Week, and in 1995, the month of November was declared National Adoption Month by President William Jefferson Clinton.
Currently, just in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania alone, there are nearly 3,000 children that are awaiting adoption in order to become a part of a forever family. Couples wishing to pursue adoption can choose to pursue a private domestic adoption, a private international adoption, or can work through the Statewide Adoption & Permanency Network to adopt a child that is free and open for adoption through the state foster care system.
Couples that wish to pursue private adoption can spend in excess of $20,000 in agency, attorney and placement fees. This option, however, can often provide more options and flexibility in the search for a child, and may also include greater hands on services from the adoption agency. Couples pursuing SWAN(www.adoptpakids.org) adoptions must go through a similar approval process, but homestudy and approval fees are typically covered by the state and attorney fees can also, at times, be covered by the state making a SWAN adoption a much less expensive undertaking.
At Blair Hope for Families, we have taken the time to create a needs based financial support program for couples pursuing adoption. Based on the availability of funds and following a needs based application process, couples can receive financial support in order to eliminate or reduce the financial roadblocks to adoption. As adoptive parents ourselves, we have always believed that we had a responsibility to advocate for adoption, to advocate for the forever family, and to support those wishing to pursue adoption through our public charity.
From Better Batter:
If you would like to help children find and connect with their forever family, you may donate to our matching donations program. We send these funds to Blair Hope’s adoption grant fund.
You can learn more about Blair Hope for families at www.facebook.com/BlairHopeforFamilies.