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"Home for the Holidays" Supports Adoption From Foster Care

December 18, 2014

BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) announced today a special holiday program focusing on adoption from foster care that will air across Louisiana Friday.

"A Home for the Holidays" special on CBS is sponsored by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, a proud partner of DCFS in its efforts to promote adoption of children in the state's foster care system.

"A Home for the Holidays" will air on Friday, December 19th at 9:00 p.m. CST on CBS stations statewide. The hour-long program features four adoptive families and their inspirational stories about the joys of adoption. The program will also feature performances from some of America's popular musical artists.

Earlier this year, through the Dave Thomas Foundation's Wendy's Wonderful Kids program, DCFS was able to hire three adoption recruiters. The recruiters are working across the state to make permanent adoption connections for specific children who are sometimes hard to place, including sibling groups and older youth.

"DCFS and the Dave Thomas Foundation share a vision that every child deserves a safe, loving and permanent family," said Suzy Sonnier, DCFS Secretary. "Our partners at the Dave Thomas Foundation are vital to the work we do at DCFS. We are already seeing the fruits of the recruiters we were able to hire through the Wendy's Wonderful Kids program."

DCFS participates in year-round recruiting efforts for foster and adoptive parents by holding orientation meetings each month across the state. For additional information on the schedule of orientations, as well as qualifications, the certification process on how to care for a child or children temporarily and life as a foster family, visit www.dcfs.la.gov/foster.

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, a national nonprofit that promotes foster care adoption, also offers excellent resources for families on its website, www.davethomasfoundation.org.

More than 450 Louisiana families adopted 627 Louisiana foster children during Federal Fiscal Year 2014. There are approximately 150 foster children freed for adoption in Louisiana who do not have an identified permanent placement.

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