[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 127, 113th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
PROCLAMATION 8968--APR. 30, 2013

Proclamation 8968 of April 30, 2013

National Foster Care Month, 2013
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
As a Nation, we have no task more important than ensuring our children
grow up healthy and safe. It is a promise we owe to the hundreds of
thousands of youth in foster care--boys and girls who too often go
without the love, protection, and stability of a permanent family. This
month, we recommit to giving them that critical support, and we
recognize the foster parents and professionals who work every day to
lift up the children in their care toward a bright, productive future.
Thanks to those efforts, the number of young people in foster care is
falling and fewer children are waiting for adoption. But even now, more
than 400,000 kids are looking for permanency with caring parents. Many
are struggling to find the meaningful, long-term relationships that will
help them transition into adulthood. Some young men and women are aging
out of the system without a permanent home, making it harder for them to
get a good education, find a job, and build a better life.
To give foster youth the support they need, Americans in every community
are stepping up to serve. They are mentors, teachers, faith leaders,
caseworkers, advocates, family members--individuals dedicated to making
a difference. As they lend their strength to our most vulnerable
children, my Administration will continue to invest in services that
strengthen the foster care system and encourage adoption. We will keep
working to ensure every qualified caregiver has the chance to be an
adoptive or foster parent. And we will support programs that help
increase permanency, reduce rates of re-entry into foster care, and
address the issues that bring young people in the child welfare system
in the first place.
Whether as a friend, a role model, or a guardian, any of us can be a
supportive adult for a child in need. As we honor the countless
Americans who are answering that call to action, let us mark this month
by showing children and youth in foster care the best our country has to
offer.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 2013 as National
Foster Care Month. I call upon all Americans to observe this month by
taking time to help youth in foster care and recognizing the commitment
of all who touch their lives at a most challenging time.





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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of
April, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
seventh.
BARACK OBAMA