Washington State Supreme Court Commission on Children in Foster Care

PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, all children deserve to belong to safe and loving families; and

WHEREAS, National Adoption Day was founded in 2000 to raise awareness of more than 120,000 foster children nationwide in need of new families; and

WHEREAS, the Washington Supreme Court Commission on Children in Foster Care was founded in 2005 to improve the lives of the state’s foster children by removing barriers to better outcomes, including barriers to adoption; and

WHEREAS, the Commission sponsored the first statewide celebration of National Adoption Day in state courts in 2005, and continues to support the event as it spreads to more courts and communities each year; and

WHEREAS, more than 1,750 foster children in Washington State are legally and permanently separated from their birth parents and are waiting and hoping to be adopted into nurturing forever families; and

WHEREAS, foster children benefit from raised awareness in their communities, and from increased collaboration between child welfare workers, courts and advocacy groups;

NOW, THEREFORE, the Supreme Court Commission on Children in Foster Care proclaims November 20, 2009 to be Adoption Day in Washington State, and encourages residents and communities to take part in local celebrations and to support efforts to help improve the lives of foster children everywhere.

Signed, this ______ day of October, 2009.

Ret. Justice Bobbe Bridge, co-chair Denise Revels Robinson, DSHS Assistant Secretary, Children’s Administration, co-chair