Events across Iowa this month aim to raise awareness about the thousands of Iowa kids in foster care and the hundreds who are eligible for adoption. Corinne Sills is a post-adoption support specialist in Mason City, part of Iowa Kids Net.
Sills says more than 400,000 children are in foster care nationwide due to abuse, neglect, abandonment and other family issues. “There are approximately 6,100 Iowa children in foster care and that includes those that are in foster homes, relative homes, group care institutions and pre-adoptive homes,” Sills says.
Also, some 750 children in Iowa are legally eligible for adoption. As part of National Adoption Month, she says there will be candlelight vigils held at locations across Iowa. “It’s to raise awareness of the 104,000 children in the United States waiting to be adopted,” Sills says.
“There’s about a dozen locations around the state to bring that awareness about. It represents a bright future and bright possibilities for every child who has a permanent connection to a caring adult.”
The candlelight vigils will be held in: Ames and Davenport on November 9th, Cedar Rapids on November 13th, Council Bluffs on November 8th, Creston and Des Moines on November 6th, Webster City on November 7th, Pella on November 10th, Sioux City on November 5th, Urbandale on November 20th, and Winterset on November 8th.
Sills says one of this month’s moving ceremonies is the “Adoption Saturday,” which is set for November 17th, with events in several communities, including Webster City. At those events, judges sign off on multiple adoptions over several hours with photos taken with the new families, gifts for the adopted children and other special elements — she calls it “really an exciting day.”
Similar Adoption Saturday events will be held in Des Moines, Council Bluffs, Sioux City and Ottumwa. Learn more at: www.iowakidsnet.com
By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City