The White House
President George W. Bush
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
July 23, 2002

Helping Children and Building Families Through Adoption

Today’s Presidential Action: President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush announced a new initiative to increase public awareness and encourage Americans to consider adoption of children in foster care.

Background on Today’s Presidential Action

More than 130,000 of the 565,000 American children in foster care, ranging in age from toddlers to teenagers, are waiting to be adopted. On average, these children have been in foster care for almost four years. Most of these children have special needs that limit their ability to be adopted, such as being part of a sibling group that wishes to stay together, belonging to a particular ethnic group, or having physical or emotional challenges. These children are adoptable; in fact, in 2000, over 50,000 children in foster care were adopted. But recruiting a family that can meet the special needs of a particular child can be challenging, especially when the right family may live in a different state or county.

President Bush believes that every child in America deserves to live in a safe, permanent and loving family. Today, the President announced:

President Bush’s Commitment to Promoting Adoption

For more information on the President’s initiatives, please visit www.whitehouse.gov.


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