Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption

With help from our community of supporters, we have found forever families for more than 14,800 children across the United States and Canada. For many of the children adopted this year, this will be their first holiday in a permanent home ❤️🏠 On behalf of the thousands of youth we serve, thank you for making a life-changing impact. Together, we will ensure that every child will have a permanent home and a loving family.

With the year coming to a close, there is just one day left to make one more gift for children in foster care who have been waiting the longest. And thanks to our friends at The Wendy’s Company providing a generous $200,000 match, your final donation can have double the impact! Donate today: https://lnkd.in/gMy2qMfu

Chris and Alicia adopted seven children from #FosterCare, desiring for them to know that "they are loved and ... their lives have value and meaning." Together, the family of 12 enjoys family fun nights. On these nights, they play silly games, munch on pizza and ice cream and watch their favorite movies 🎥🍿🍕 📸: chrisjohnsondoz (IG)

Thank you, National Council For Adoption, for raising awareness of the need for adoption-friendly workplaces. Whether you are an adoptive parent, agency professional, HR manager or employee advocate, this session will provide valuable perspectives and resources to help your workplace better support adoptive families. This FREE training will provide 1 CE credit for social workers. Register today: https://lnkd.in/eVuUxXbc

Felicia, an employee at Bank of America, considered adoption for years. The opportunity finally presented itself when she and her partner, Ruth, were introduced to three sisters in need of a #ForeverFamily.  Felicia vividly remembers the instant connection she felt with the siblings and knew early on they were meant to be a family. After getting to know the sisters better, Felicia and Ruth decided to become their foster parents, and they officially became a family. Throughout the adoption process, Felicia turned to her employer for support. Bank of America offers a Family Planning Reimbursement Program, which helped Felicia with the legal fees associated with the siblings’ adoption. “An important part of Bank of America’s commitment to be a Great Place to Work is providing benefits and resources that support our employees during moments that matter, like becoming a parent,” said Kate Phillips, Head of Global Benefits. Read Felicia’s story: https://lnkd.in/gxgqn6e2

Kayla and her husband, Jerad, weren’t sure what their journey of becoming foster parents would bring. They certainly didn’t anticipate welcoming five children into their forever family! But a sibling group of five children, ranging from ages 2 to 13, captured their hearts. Now, four years later, Kayla shares her story to encourage other parents on their own adoption and foster care journeys. 📸: MakingTheMoffitts (IG) Read her guest blog: https://lnkd.in/gQWGTDhs

Samantha had yet to experience many childhood firsts in #FosterCare. Thankfully, her journey changed when she was adopted. “All of the things that we take for granted were like firsts for Samantha,” said Amy, Samantha’s adoption professional. “She just reminds you about what's important in life.” Read her story: https://lnkd.in/gvJbQbbt

Child welfare professionals: Tune in on January 16 for a FREE webinar to learn practical methods on how to empower youth in foster care. Dr. Sharrica Miller will share her lived experience over 12 years in the system, providing a powerful perspective on resilience, trauma-informed care and key strategies to transform a youth’s setback into future success. Register Now: https://lnkd.in/gVafNvcH

Being a child welfare professional can be a thankless job, but we see you – and the Foundation’s supporters see you. Here’s one of many messages of appreciation shared by the Foundation’s supporters this year: “Thank you for your commitment to finding safe, permanent, loving homes for children waiting in foster care. As an early childcare worker, I understand it is often a thankless job and burnout is easy. Please know the work you’re doing matters and is so important. You are so appreciated and supported for all that you do!”

Our founder, Dave Thomas, started an initiative advocating for adoption benefits in the workplace more than 30 years ago. Today, we continue this legacy by encouraging organizations to implement adoption and foster care benefits and providing a toolkit of resources to help organizations develop their benefit policies. Learn more about our Adoption-Friendly Workplace program and download our Adoption-Friendly Workplace Employer Toolkit ⤵️  https://lnkd.in/gSuswthr