[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 17693]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         NATIONAL ADOPTION DAY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Bass) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. BASS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of 
the 12th Annual National Adoption Day this Friday, November 18. As we 
prepare for Thanksgiving festivities with loved ones, many of us take 
for granted our opportunity to spend time with family and friends. But 
for thousands of foster youth around the country, celebrating a holiday 
with a permanent family remains out of reach.
  In the United States today there are more than 400,000 children in 
foster care, some waiting years to be adopted by a permanent, loving 
family. Although the number of youth without a home seems discouraging, 
there is hope.
  This week, in recognition of National Adoption Day, an unprecedented 
number of courts in 400 communities throughout the country will open 
their doors to finalize the adoption of thousands of children from the 
foster care system.
  National Adoption Day is a nationwide effort to raise awareness of 
children in foster care who are eligible and waiting for adoption, as 
well as to celebrate families that have been chosen to make a lasting 
difference in the life of a child through adoption or relative-based 
care.
  Since 2000, more than 35,000 children have been adopted through 
National Adoption Day activities. This year, nearly 5,000 adoptions 
will be finalized. In California alone, my home State, 500 youth will 
be adopted through these special events.
  While the number of children in foster care has significantly 
decreased over the past decade, the number of adoptions has remained 
unchanged. Youth often wait years in foster care before finding a 
permanent family through adoption. During their time in foster care, 
children are moved from home to home, changing schools, losing friends, 
coping with separation from siblings, and wondering if they will ever 
have anyone to call Mom or Dad again.
  What's worse is that nearly 28,000 youth age out of foster care each 
year never having been adopted, often going through life alone without 
the support systems children with permanent families have, not to 
mention sharing holiday traditions or a family meal.
  As the cochair of both the Congressional Coalition on Adoption and 
the Foster Youth Caucus, I look forward to continuing to work in a 
bipartisan fashion to identify solutions to improve the quality of life 
for our Nation's most vulnerable children.
  National Adoption Day reminds us that it is our responsibility and in 
our best interest to find solutions to ensure children have the 
opportunity to live in a safe and loving home. Nearly 48 million 
Americans have considered adopting from foster care, according to a 
recent national survey. If just one in 500 of these adults adopt, all 
the 107,000 children in foster care waiting for adoption would have 
permanent families to help create Thanksgiving traditions of their own.
  In closing, in this spirit of giving thanks, I'd like to express 
sincere gratitude to all of the adoptive parents, relative caregivers, 
and child welfare caseworkers. Their commitment to improving the lives 
of today's youth is truly commendable.

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