Adoption Awareness Month is a time to acknowledge the thousands of families across the state who help children in need and the thousands of families who are still longing for a child in their life. November is Adoption Awareness Month and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is creating a statewide campaign to bring awareness to adoption. 

DCFS Acting Director Marc D. Smith says that the events have been scaled back this year due to COVID-19, but they are still working on smaller things they can do to bring awareness to the event. 

There are over 18,000 youth in care waiting for a family and a place to call home. 1,523 Illinois children were adopted into permanent homes last year. 

If you would like more information about becoming an adoptive parent visit www2.illinois.gov/dcfs and click on “loving homes” and “become a foster or adoptive parent.” You can also visit “What’s Your Connection” to get sign templates and logos to share on social media to support the campaign as well. 

Smith says “November is usually a month filled with hugs and laughter in courtrooms as adoptions are finalized and new families are created, and although those events can’t take place this year, we can still acknowledge and celebrate the connection each of us has to adoption.”