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2008 SESSION

083145676
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 41
Offered January 9, 2008
Prefiled December 20, 2007
Recognizing November as Virginia Adoption Awareness Month.
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Patrons-- Peace, Athey and Toscano
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Referred to Committee on Rules
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WHEREAS, thousands of married couples across Virginia desire to provide loving and permanent homes to, and are willing to make the necessary sacrifices for, children in need; and

WHEREAS, these families not only take on the tremendous responsibility of parenting, but also face the burdensome and costly process of becoming adoptive parents; and

WHEREAS, many women in crisis pregnancies might choose to place their children into a loving adoptive home if they were aware of adoption services and knew more about the adoption process; and

WHEREAS, there are hundreds of foster children in Virginia who await adoption placement, with two-thirds of them being six years of age or older; and

WHEREAS, adoptive parents who open their hearts and homes to a child in need play a vital role in fostering stable and loving families and strong communities; and

WHEREAS, Virginia Adoption Awareness Day, celebrated each year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, signifies a day of promise and hope for families desiring to provide a loving and safe home for children in need of adoption; and

WHEREAS, National Adoption Awareness Day began in 2000 with the Alliance for Children’s Rights and support from the Freddie Mac Foundation, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, and others, such as the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute and Target, have become supporters; and

WHEREAS, the largest private adoption service providers are Catholic Charities and Bethany Christian Services, combining to place thousands of children each year with loving and permanent families; and

WHEREAS, on Saturday, November 17, 2007, hundreds of communities in all 50 states held courtroom celebrations to finalize more than 3,330 adoptions of children from foster care, bringing the total number of finalized adoptions as part of National Adoption Day activities to more than 20,000; and

WHEREAS, Virginia’s Adoption Awareness Day corresponds with the National Adoption Awareness Day, a day established to increase public awareness of the need for more adoptive families and to recognize the work of adoption professionals, child welfare agencies, and child advocacy groups who work on behalf of adoptive families and children; and

WHEREAS, Virginia has recognized one day, Virginia Adoption Day, with statewide adoption awareness events and activities; however, to recognize the entire month of November as Virginia Adoption Awareness Month will only heighten awareness and understanding of the needs of children in foster care awaiting adoption; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That November be recognized as Virginia Adoption Awareness Month in 2008 and each succeeding year in order to encourage awareness of the needs of both foster children for permanent and loving homes and adoptive families during the adoption process; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates recognize the designation of November as Virginia Adoption Awareness Month on the General Assembly's website.