National Adoption Month, 2016

Proclamation 9530 of October 27, 2016

National Adoption Month, 2016

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Across America, adoptive parents welcome children into
stable, loving families, providing a safe and
comforting place for children in need to call home.
Families who choose the life-changing path of adoption
make a meaningful and lasting difference in the lives
of some of the most vulnerable young people in our
society. Regardless of sexual orientation, gender
identity, race, or religion, devoted Americans who
adopt help give more children the upbringing they
deserve. Each November, we recognize the important role
that adoption has played in the lives of children and
families in our country and around the world, and we
rededicate ourselves to ensuring every child can find
their forever family.

Last year, more than 100,000 children were waiting to
be adopted from foster care, and every year, too many
older youth age out of the foster care system before
they are able to find permanence. Without this support
during the critical years of early adulthood, these
youth are more likely than their peers to experience
homelessness, unemployment, or incarceration. To make
the possibility of adoption real for more children
across our country, my Administration has eliminated
barriers to adoption by extending tax credits and
providing financial incentives to child welfare
agencies in almost every State to maximize adoptions. I
have also worked to strengthen Federal workplace
flexibility policies to ensure more families, including
adoptive families, can keep their jobs and care for
their children as their family grows.

On the Saturday before Thanksgiving, we also recognize
National Adoption Day, kicking off a week of reflection
and gratitude for many adoptive families. Each year on
this day, thousands of adoptions are finalized,
including more than 4,000 children in 2015. This year,
cities from coast to coast will host a variety of
events to commemorate the occasion.

One of the most important jobs many of us will ever
have is being a parent. Throughout National Adoption
Month, we celebrate all those who have invited a child
in need into their hearts and into their homes, and we
express our profound appreciation for all who help make
adoptions possible. Let us continue strengthening the
adoption process so that all children can learn, grow,
and thrive with the support of a devoted and permanent
family.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim November 2016 as
National Adoption Month. I encourage all Americans to
observe this month by answering the call to find a
permanent and caring family for every child in need and
by supporting the families who care for them.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-seventh day of October, in the year of our Lord
two thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
first.