WHEREAS, the health and safety of all Virginians are important to the happiness, prosperity, and well-being of our Commonwealth’s families and communities; and

WHEREAS, every child in Virginia, regardless of physical, medical, or emotional challenges, age, or race, needs a family for love, support, security, and a place to call home; and

WHEREAS, children can thrive and reach their full potential when given the loving and firm foundation of a family, a family with a desire to parent a child who would otherwise not have permanency in their lives; and

WHEREAS, in addition to adoption from foster care, many Virginians have chosen other adoption options to build their families, including international and private adoptions; and

WHEREAS, it is important for every child who cannot be raised by a birth parent, relative, or fictive kin to have a permanent home, and children have better outcomes when they are raised in loving families; and

WHEREAS, there are more than 4,700 children under the age of 18 in Virginia’s foster care program; and

WHEREAS, approximately 1,800 children and youth have the goal of adoption, and more than 1,000 are in need of a permanent placement in an adoptive home; and

WHEREAS, many older youths who live in foster care desire to be adopted, just as many siblings who are separated in foster care long to be adopted by the same family, and all these children want a sense of belonging that adoptive parents can provide; and

WHEREAS, our Safe Kids, Strong Families initiative aims to transform the child welfare system by prioritizing family stability, reducing reliance on congregate care, and strengthening the workforce and services that support our most vulnerable children; and

WHEREAS, community partnerships, such as Virginia’s Kids Belong, have provided much-needed exposure to the stories of waiting children throughout the Commonwealth, and these endeavors can continue their unprecedented success in finding loving and permanent homes;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize NOVEMBER 2025 as ADOPTION AWARENESS MONTH in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.