Political Quotes

“each November we celebrate National Adoption Awareness Month to recognize the families that choose to adopt and the organizations that support them. During this month, we honor those who welcome these children into their homes and hearts, help them to grow to their full potential, and give them a better future. Today I would like to draw attention to the importance of adoption and raise awareness about youth in foster care programs, especially in Maine. There are over 400,000 children in the foster care system, many of them waiting and hoping that the right family will come to adopt them. While many of these children are successfully returned to their birth parents and relatives, almost half are left in the system to fend for themselves. The absence of a stable family structure can be disastrous for children who are still developing psychologically and are trying to find their way in the world. This issue has very real impacts on the future of these children and our society as a whole. Young adults who age out of the foster care system before being placed with a family are at a significantly higher risk for homelessness, incarceration, and unemployment. Alternatively, children who are adopted from foster care are more likely to achieve academic success and emotional security than their counterparts who remain in foster care.…”