Thousands of Ohio Children Waiting for a Home

Thousands of Ohio Children Waiting for a Home
Public News Services-OH, Nov. 15, 2011.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Lawmakers, clergy members, young adults and community leaders are gathering in Columbus today as part of National Adoption Awareness Month to draw attention to the number of children without a permanent home.

Nearly 3,000 children in Ohio are waiting to be adopted, and each year more than 1,000 teens age out of foster care. Rita Soronen, president and chief executive officer of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, says it's a rough road for those children who leave the system without a family.

"They're much more likely to be homeless, undereducated, underemployed. They may fall back into government systems, criminal-justice systems. It's not because they're bad kids, it's because they don't have those support systems around them."

Adoption can give foster children the foundation they need to become successful in the future, says James Griffie, vice president of Leaders of Tomorrow. He says he knows first-hand that most children just want a good, stable home.

"People don't really know the struggles of what kids go through in care. I got adopted at the age of 16, and it was a blessing to me to be with a family that loved me."


Every child is adoptable, Soronen says, no matter what their age, cultural background or challenges.

"These are children with the wishes and hopes and dreams of every other child, and we see success across Ohio every day with particularly older youth being brought into families and really becoming thriving and loved individuals."

Each child deserves a chance to make a permanent family connection, Soronen says, and she's encouraging Ohioans to step forward and consider foster-care adoption. Additionally, during today's Third Annual Adoption Advocacy Day, attendees will urge Ohio leaders and policymakers to renew their commitment to a stable investment in adoption.