WASHINGTON – A photo of a Story City family will be displayed in the office of Senator Chuck Grassley this month in celebration of National Adoption Month.
Grassley said the Buckels family story is a “wonderful way” to promote the goals of the Adoptive Family Portrait Project, which is sponsored by a coalition of national adoption groups as part of National Adoption Month. A single mother, Ruth, had four biological children when she decided to adopt three teenage girls who had “aged out” of the foster care system. Thousands of young people age out of the foster care system every year, with nowhere to go, so adopting youth who are aging out is especially valuable to foster youth. Another young girl, Dalani, was placed in Ruth’s home as a foster child. Dalani had a biological brother and sister who were placed in foster care with a single father, Bill. Ruth and Bill met and decided it would be best for the three siblings to be together. After Ruth and Bill successfully petitioned the state to keep the siblings together, Ruth adopted Dalani and her brother and sister. Ruth and Bill fell in love in the process. They were married in September 2009. This year Ruth is adopting Bill’s adopted son, and they are in the process of adopting a daughter together, both on National Adoption Day on November 20.
“The Buckels family is a great adoption success story,” Grassley said. “This is just one of the many happy stories across the country, thanks to the efforts of adoptive parents and children who put in the work to bring families together.”
Grassley has long been a champion for children in foster care and helping to increase the number of adoptions.
The Iowa senator is the founder and co-chairman of the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth. This caucus is a way for current and former foster youth to have their voices heard. It's a way to make senators more aware of these issues, to generate ideas for preventing negative outcomes, and to create opportunities for success for the 500,000 children in the foster care system in America and the more than 200,000 young people nationwide who have aged out of foster care. The caucus provides briefings for senators by think-tank experts, foster-care coalitions and other groups close to these kids and familiar with the issues they face. The caucus is a clearing house for up-to-date research and policy initiatives in this area of child welfare. Grassley introduced the bill that became the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008. In 2001, he sponsored a tax credit which significantly expanded incentives for adoptive parents.
National Adoption Day is a national effort to raise awareness of the 114,000 children in foster care waiting to find permanent, loving families. In total, more than 30,000 children have been adopted from foster care on National Adoption Day. A coalition of national partners -- The Alliance for Children's Rights, Annie E. Casey Foundation/Casey Family Services, Children's Action Network, Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, and Freddie Mac Foundation -- sponsor National Adoption Day to draw special attention to foster children waiting for permanent families and to celebrate all loving families that adopt. This year the National Adoption Day Coalition expects 4,500 foster care children to be adopted on National Adoption Day on November 20, 2010.
The text of Grassley’s speech at the Adoptive Family Portrait event today is available here.
A video of Grassley’s speech is available here.