For the past 25 years, the United States has honored the month of November as National Adoption Month. This is a time many adoptive families, adopted persons, and advocates celebrate adoption while simultaneously raising awareness about the hard parts of adoption and children still waiting to be adopted.  

Adoption is beautiful. Adoption is also incredibly difficult. It’s a miracle that stems from loss. God never intended for families to be broken or for parents to be unable to care for their children. But he does provide adoption as a solution to the brokenness.
There are more than 7,000 children waiting to be adopted in Texas. These are children whose parents’ rights have already been terminated but they have not been adopted yet. Their only permanency plan is adoption. If they are never adopted, youth will age out of the system between ages 18 to 21 with no one to support or care for them.
 
In Texas, more than 1,000 youth age out of foster care each year. The statistics of youth who age out of foster care show how difficult the journey is:

• Less than 3% of former foster youth earn a college degree. 
• Nearly half of the youth who age out of foster care in the U.S. will be homeless or incarcerated at some point in their life. 
• About seven out of 10 females who age out of foster care will become pregnant before the age of 21. 

Aging out is scary. Former foster youth are left to navigate adulthood alone. No young adult should go through that. If these youth are adopted before they age out of care, their journey will be more supported, less lonely and have a more positive outcome.
 
Waiting Texas Children deserve love.
They deserve support and guidance.
They deserve a chance. 

Read more about some Waiting Texas Children who need families now before they age out of foster care.

Ja’Niya 

Age: 17
Interests: Singing, painting, knitting and making jewelry
Personality: “I’m pretty optimistic and realistic as well because I’ve been through a lot.”
Wants to be adopted because: “I have so much love that is genuine. It is not the picture-perfect type, but it is also not the ‘love’ that I endured or faced. It’s truly love for God and love for family and connection and something more intimate than just for social media or just for a moment. My love is the type that wants to be unconditional and not conditional like I’ve experienced.”
Dream adoptive family: “Of course people that love comedy. I like to laugh a lot. I love stand-up comedy. I love jokes. Usually, I’m a homebody so probably something different like people who like to get out of the house and go to the park for a picnic and stuff like that. Of course, pets. I like dogs, I like cats.”
Wants people to know: “The world should know there are children in the foster care system that would love to have parents. That would love to have somebody to depend on, but we have no hope to get adopted.”

Armandee

Age: 15
Interests: Dancing, especially TikTok dances
Personality: “I am really friendly and like to help people.”
Wants to be adopted because: “The reason I want to be adopted is because I haven’t seen my mom in a long time, so I want a forever family to be happy with. And not stay in a foster home my whole life.”
Dream job: To be a YouTuber

Sayah

Age: 9
Interests: Football, basketball and sports
Personality: Athletic 
Favorite subject in school: Math, science and social studies
Favorite team: Texas Longhorns
What adoption means to her: “That you stay with the parents forever.”   
Wants people to know: “I’m good at basketball.”
Favorite ice cream: Chocolate with marshmallows and Cocoa Puffs

Trevor 

Age: 15
Interests: Sports, video games and reading funny books
Personality: “I would describe myself as a good influence or a leader.”
Favorite ice cream: Chocolate with chocolate syrup and sprinkles
Wants to be adopted because: “So I could get a family to love me and care for me.”
Dream adoptive family: “A family to take care of my needs, a little bit of my wants and just take care of me.”

Dallas

Age: 13
Interests: Basketball and video games
Favorite team: Los Angeles Lakers
Favorite ice cream: Chocolate and Butterfinger
Wants to be adopted because: “I’ve been in foster care a long time and would love to join a family.”
Dream adoptive family: “Where I can have my own room, a backyard and a dog. A family that cares and loves and treats me good.”

Keenan

Age: 7
Interests: Playing with toys, especially Mickey Mouse and Spiderman, singing and music
Favorite thing about himself: “I think I’m really smart.”
Favorite ice cream: Chocolate in a cup with sprinkles
Wants to be adopted because: “To have a family to stay with forever.”
Dream adoptive family: “I like a family that has cats.”

Destiny 

Age: 15
Interests: Photography, art, reading and writing
Personality: “I’m cool, happy, chill.”
Wants to be adopted because: “If I don’t get adopted, I’ll grow out of foster care and have nowhere to go. It’s kind of hard not having a family and knowing everyone else does. It’d be hard because I’d have to teach myself how to do everything.”
Dream job: Photographer 
Dream adoptive family: Two parents, siblings, animals, a family that likes art
What adoption means to her: “Adoption would mean a family that wouldn’t give up on me.”

Learn more or start your adoption journey today.