November is National Adoption Month for Indiana, and no one understands the importance of this month more than those who have taken children into their homes.
Satin Howard, Indianapolis, is one of those people. She and her husband, who have two older children, started out as foster parents with no intentions of adopting. However, they received RaShaun as a foster child at two months, and he recently celebrated his second birthday as one of the family.
"He came into our household and he seemed a part of it," she said. "When his parents' rights were terminated, we felt (adopting) was the right thing to do. He fit in, and there was no way I could've given him back. "
Indiana's Adoption Initiative joined the U.S. Children's Bureau and thousands of individuals, government agencies and child advocacy organizations across the nation in promoting National Adoption Month. Its purpose is to provide national awareness, celebrate children and families and call the nation to action to ensure safety, permanency and well-being for children of all ages.
Program coordinator Colleen Kelly of the Children's Bureau in Indianapolis said that awareness is important because of the large number of children who are in need of a family.
"We need to increase the awareness that these children need permanency and a network of support," she said. "Three-fourths of children who never get adopted usually end up homeless once they are 18 and on their own. We are trying to avoid that problem."
According to Kelly, 100 to 200 children are waiting for permanent homes, and each year 15 to 20 are adopted. In 2001 alone, 1,093 children were adopted, and currently 134,000 children are available nationwide.
Kelly said that becoming foster parents is greatly encouraged, and classes are held for families who wish to foster or adopt. Nancy Fisher, Lowell, has been fostering for 17 years along with raising her five children. She has recently adopted 17-year-old Kyle and is in the process of adopting another teenager.
"Families don't stop when you're 18," she said. "You need a to have a place to come home to. Foster care is not meant to be a long-term plan for children. They do need permanency."
Kyle had been a foster child of Fisher's for seven years before she was finally able to legally adopt him. Fisher said she felt it was right because of the longevity of him being in her home.
"He already felt like a significant part of our family," she said. "It was the best thing for him."
During November, Indiana's Adoption Initiative has launched special public awareness campaign to let Hoosiers know about Indiana's waiting children. A Celebration of Adoption party was held on Nov. 2 at the Indianapolis Zoo, where more than 200 people, including 90 families who have adopted children, were in attendance, and Gov. Frank O'Bannon proclaimed November 2002 as "Adoption Month" in Indiana.
Indiana's Adoption Initiative has worked with WTHR-TV Channel 13 to produce the "Thursday's Child" and with The Indianapolis Star to produce "Monday's Child," both weekly features, for more than 20 years. Throughout November, special billboards will be on display to increase interest in the initiative and to promote the importance of adoption.
Kelly said that the children in need range from teenagers to infants and are of diverse heritage. There are children with physical, emotional, behavioral or learning challenges, and some have been neglected, abused, abandoned and/or exposed to drugs and alcohol. Others are brothers and sisters who want to grow up together, but they all share a common bond: the need for loving families.
Howard encourages families who are capable of doing so to become foster parents and/or adopt.
"There are so many children that are looking for homes," Howard said. "It's something that they need. When they have stability they can adjust and move forward."
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