November is National Adoption Month, a time to celebrate and reflect on the adoption journey. It is also a time to raise awareness so that the realities of adoption are more widely understood. Here are nine ways you can educate, advocate and celebrate during National Adoption Month.
Educate
- Share your adoption story. Whether privately with friends and family, or publicly on social media or Faces of The Cradle, sharing your personal adoption story can be a powerful experience.
- Spread awareness on social media. You can share blogs, stories, resources and more to help your network better understand the adoption journey.
- Donate adoption-positive books to your local library or your child’s school. Giving age-appropriate resources to educational spaces is a great way to help spread awareness to teachers, students and the greater community.
- Educate yourself by checking out adoption resources. The Cradle Blog and our list of resources are great places to start if you want to learn more.
Advocate
- Support the Adoption Tax Credit Refundability Act. This would provide critical financial resources to families who are willing to open their homes to a child in need. The National Council for Adoption has made it easy for you to contact your members of Congress in support of the bill.
- Advocate for adoption benefits in your workplace. Talk to your employer about becoming an adoption-friendly workplace. The Dave Thomas Foundation has a toolkit for getting started. See if your company is on their list of 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces.
Celebrate
- Write a letter to someone in your life touched by adoption. Whether it is to a parent, child, birth parent, someone who supported your journey or a friend on their own journey, let them know how grateful you are for them.
- Throw a party. Invite over a group of loved ones to tell stories and celebrate with.
- Start your own tradition. Do something meaningful to reflect on your family’s unique story.
