New Post has been published on Citizensjournal.us
New Post has been published on http://citizensjournal.us/leading-human-services-agency-aspiranet-commemorates-national-adoption-awareness-month-statewide-in-november/
Leading human services agency Aspiranet commemorates National Adoption Awareness Month statewide in November
Local communities to celebrate as thousands of foster children are adopted into āforever familiesā
Throughout November for National Adoption Month, the lives of thousands of American children will be forever changed as courts across the country open their doors and finalize adoptions for children currently in foster care. Now in its 16th year, the National Adoption Day Coalition expects 4,500 foster care children to be adopted.
āNational Adoption Month helps bring greater awareness to the growing need for more adoptive families,ā said Nancy Born, Aspiranet Adoption Division Director. āEvery child deserves the right to a loving, secure and permanent home to call their own. At Aspiranet, our mission is also to place, in addition to children, youth that have an even greater need for a familyāolder children, teenagers, youths with special needs, and sibling sets.ā
Aspiranet, a leading human services agency serving foster youth and families throughout California for 40 years, is working to ensure that California children are placed in permanent, loving homes, and has impacted the lives of more than 10,000 children. Aspiranet is the second largest adoption agency in California; this year, the agency has finalized 230 adoptions and is working with an additional 300 children who are currently going through the adoption process.
Sarah Stichler of Camarillo always wanted to adopt, but was not sure she could do it as a single mother. Her adoption journey with Aspiranet began in 2012 when she searched for local foster care agencies that had an array of support services to help her in her new role as a foster mother. After a three-month process, which involved training and home inspection, Stichler became a certified foster parent, and within a matter of months, 10-month-old Daisy, entered her home in October 2012. As a foster parent, Stichler was very proactive working with her foster childrenās birth parents to help the families achieve reunification. However, after four months in her care, Stichler learned Daisy would be up for adoption and did not hesitate to give the toddler a forever home.
Stichler helps Daisy maintain a close relationship with her two birth siblings who were also adopted, scheduling regular visits with their respective adoptive parents twice a month. The three birth siblings were all adopted on the same day in April 2015. Stichler explains she and the siblingsā adoptive parents adopted together with the philosophy, āthe children entered foster care together, and left foster care together.ā
āThe adoption did not happen overnight, but the process was seamless as Aspiranet worked hand-in-hand with me to become a certified foster parent, making it much easier,ā explains Stichler. āIn foster parenting and adoption, there are always challenges, but the rewards make it worth it. I couldnāt be more grateful for the extra support I received from the Aspiranet staff in this journey.ā
According to AdoptUSKids, there are more than 55,000 children in foster care in California, and about 5,500 children are adopted each year.
To learn more about adopting a child through foster care, please call (877) 380-HERO or visit the website at: www.aspiranetadoption.org.
Aspiranet, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charity, supports foster children, siblings, families and the community with 35 core programs offering specialized services throughout 45 locations within California. Aspiranet strengthens children, youth, families and communities through seven core programs including: Foster Care, Adoption, Residential, Transitional Age Youth, Behavioral Health, Intensive Home-Based Services and Family and Community Services. Founded 40 years ago as a six-bed group home for young boys in Moss Beach, California, Aspiranet is one of the most diverse nonprofit social service agencies in the state. With a statewide network of innovative services, Aspiranet serves more than 10,000 families each year. For more information, please visit www.aspiranet.org
