​November is National Adoption Awareness Month! Designated in 1995 by President Bill Clinton, this month is a time to bring awareness and celebrate the life-changing power of adoption—especially for children in foster care. It’s a month to deepen our understanding of adoption and recognize adoptive parents’ remarkable role in giving children safe, loving homes. National Adoption Month is also a chance to honor the countless lives touched and transformed by adoption.

Since 1994, Children’s Place Association has been committed to providing foster care and adoption services in Illinois. We carefully train, license, and support individuals and couples to become foster and adoptive parents, matching children impacted by abuse or neglect with families who can meet their unique needs. Many of the children we work with have special medical or mental health needs, and our foster/adoptive parents and staff work tirelessly toward our agency’s mission: “Building a secure and hopeful today so children facing health issues and poverty succeed tomorrow.” We believe every child deserves a bright future, and by providing stability, guidance, and love, children can grow, thrive, and reach their full potential. For children who cannot return to their biological families, adoptive parents provide the permanent, nurturing homes they need and deserve.

I joined Children’s Place Association’s Foster Care and Adoption Program in November 2004. Over the past 20 years, I’ve had the privilege of working with an extraordinary team of foster care professionals and foster/adoptive parents dedicated to changing children’s lives. National Adoption Month always prompts me to reflect on the incredible impact of adoption on the healing journeys of children and families affected by trauma. One of the highlights of my career was participating in a National Adoption Day celebration where we, alongside other adoptive families, finalized adoptions and celebrated this vital cause with community advocates. It was an inspiring day that showcased the positive side of the child welfare system.

The child welfare field is complex and often faces many challenges, from workforce shortages to limited resources for foster and adoptive placements. There are ongoing struggles to provide adequate mental health services, meet the needs of children with significant medical issues, and support children aging out of care. These challenges, compounded by racial disparities and poverty-related involvement in the child welfare system, can make the landscape especially difficult for families of color.

Despite these challenges, our program has seen incredible resilience and success. Through careful preparation and support, we have helped foster and adoptive parents achieve hopeful outcomes despite daunting obstacles. While caring for children with special needs can be difficult, we have had many parents step up, including those who have taken in and adopted multiple children, providing them with the love and stability they deserve.

A young boy survived a house fire that tragically took his parents and a sibling, leaving him with burns on 40% of his body. After enduring a long recovery with numerous surgeries, his aunt adopted him and provided the support he needed. He thrived and eventually became a basketball star.

These stories exemplify why adoption is so important and deserves to be celebrated this month. National Adoption Awareness Month highlights the transformative power of adoption for children, families, and entire communities. This is why I continue to do the work that I do: to support children and families in times of great need.

Ivan Harrison, III, MA
Children’s Place Association
Executive Director of Child Welfare

To learn more about becoming a Foster Parent, EMAIL US.