Area Children Join Together for an Event to Support Kids in Foster Care Who Need Permanent Homes
Focus on the Family, in partnership with the State of Colorado, to raise awareness of the hundreds who are awaiting adoptionNovember 7, 2011
Colorado Springs, Colo. - Focus is hosting a kid-friendly event on Nov. 8 to kick off National Adoption Month and a display of The Heart Gallery in its Welcome Center. The Heart Gallery is an exhibit featuring large professional photographs of some of the children in Colorado who are in the foster care system and awaiting adoption.
Local children and their families will participate in either or both a brief age-appropriate teaching on foster care, adoption and the needs of children in Colorado by Dr. Sharen Ford, Manager of Permanency Services for the Colorado Department of Human Services, and a separate faith-based time of prayer. Kids will pray over photographs of the children, both for their protection and for them to find homes.
"We have an obligation to raise awareness of those in need in our own backyard," says Kelly Rosati, who adopted four children out of the foster care system, and who now serves as vice president of Community Outreach at Focus. "there are 350 kids looking for homes and 3,000 churches in the state. if we band together surely none of these children should have to spend another holiday season without a permanent family to call their own."
The event will feature balloons, giveaways and Chick-Fil-A chicken treats. Live characters such as the Sky Sox Mascot "Sox the Fox," the Chick-Fil-A Cow and Mr Whittaker from Adventures in Odyssey will be on hand to interact with the participants and take photos.
The Heart Gallery will be on display in the Welcome Center on the Focus Campus from Nov. 8 through the end of December. Many of the children and youth awaiting adoption are sibling groups, older, or have special needs. "No matter their age or special circumstance, they are of great worth to God, and we won't give up on them," said Rosati.
Since 2008, Focus on the Family has worked with the State Department of Human Services, along with agency and ministry leaders, to help reduce the number of waiting kids on Colorado. In 2008, that number was 800.
About Wait No More
An outreach of Focus on the Family, Wait No More believes that every child has the right to have a family. They collaborate with adoption agencies, church leaders and ministry partners to raise awareness of and recruit families for those waiting for permanent families. Through one-day events and targeted marketing campaigns, Focus on the Family is highlighting the urgent deed for adoptive parents. LEarn more about our advocacy for children at icareaboutorphans.org
About Focus on the Family
Reaching about 238 million people in more than 130 countries, Focus on the Family is a global Christian ministry that helps families thrive. We provide help and resources for couples to build healthy marriages that reflect God’s design, and for parents to raise their children according to morals and values grounded in biblical principles. Visit Focus online at www.focusonthefamily.com .
About The Heart Gallery
The Heart Gallery is a traveling photographic and audio exhibit created to find forever families for children in foster care. The Heart Gallery of America is a collaborative project of over 120 Heart Galleries across the United States (and growing) designated to increase the number of adoptive families for children needing homes in our community. This nationally renowned, annual exhibit features professional photographs of teh children in Colorado who have been waiting the longest for an adoptive family.
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