National Foster Care Month, 2017

Proclamation 9597 of April 28, 2017

National Foster Care Month, 2017

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

During the month of May, we observe National Foster
Care Month and we celebrate those who have opened their
homes and their hearts to children in need and those
who have devoted their careers to serving America's
foster youth.

Americans throughout the country are serving their
communities as foster parents, mentors, respite care
providers, and volunteers. In the last year alone,
America's foster families opened their homes and hearts
to more than 300,000 young people.

But we can do more. Every child deserves a safe and
supportive family. Ensuring that children grow up with
the opportunity to reach their full potential is a top
priority of my Administration. For thousands of
children whose biological families are unable to
support them, foster families provide a secure and
nurturing environment that is essential for a
successful start in life.

Foster families serve young people from all walks of
life, from infants awaiting adoption, to children
seeking reunification with their families and teens in
need of safe havens from negative influences. In many
cases, they offer our Nation's most at-risk children a
second chance at the American Dream.

A tremendous demand exists for foster parents and
families across the country. Together as a Nation, we
must raise awareness about this need and inspire
volunteers to step forward and invest in the lives of
our Nation's youth through our foster care system.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Donald J. Trump, 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 May 2017 as National
Foster Care Month. I call upon all Americans to observe
this month by taking time to help children and youth in
foster care and to recognize the commitment of those
who touch their lives, particularly celebrating their
foster parents and other caregivers.

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