November is a month set aside to recognize the love and support of adoptive parents and families who provide thousands of children with loving homes each year and to help all Americans realize that adoption is a powerful way to show women they are not alone in an unexpected pregnancy.

“We celebrate the life-changing act of adoption, bring attention to the millions of Americans who are eager to adopt, and express our gratitude to the families who have welcomed children into their lives and homes,” the president said in this year’s official proclamation.

“My Administration also acknowledges the courage of those mothers and fathers who place their child for adoption. Our Nation grows stronger because of the love and sacrifice of parents, both birth and adoptive.”

According to Heartbeat International, the first major effort to promote awareness of the need for adoptive families began in 1976 with Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis who initiated the first “Adoption Week.” The idea quickly grew in popularity and spread throughout the country.

President Gerald Ford issue the first National Adoption Week which was expanded to the month due to the number of states participating and the number of events promoting adoption.

“During the month, states, communities, public and private organizations, businesses, families, and individuals celebrate adoption as a positive way to build families. Activities and observances across the nation, such as recognition dinners, public awareness and recruitment campaigns, and special events shed light on children who are in need of permanent families,” Heartbeat International reports.

“The month also includes National Adoption Day, traditionally a Saturday, which is observed in courthouses across the nation, where thousands of adoptions are finalized simultaneously.”

A particular focus of the month is on children who are currently in foster care and who are seeking permanent homes.

“Unfortunately, many youth leave foster care at the age of 18 without lasting family connections,” the president states. “These children deserve a permanent family, which can provide them with love, stability, support, and encouragement as they pursue personal, educational, and employment goals and confront life’s opportunities and challenges.”

Adoption affirms the inherent value of human life and signals that every child born or unborn is wanted and loved, he concludes.

“Children, regardless of race, sex, age, or disability, deserve a loving embrace into families they can call their own. This month, we honor the thousands of American families who have grown because of adoption. We also stand with those children in foster care, and we appeal to families, communities, and houses of worship across our great Nation to help these children find a permanent home.”

Adopthelp.com lists nine ways to celebrate this special month, ranging from retelling your family’s adoption story to thanking an adoptive family and spreading awareness through social media.

And, most importantly, let’s set aside this month as a time to intensify our prayers for those families who have adopted children, are considering adoption, or who are confronting an unexpected pregnancy. May God give us the grace to make this nation once again become a land where everyone is deserving of life and love!

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