The Time Is N.O.W. For Foster Care Children

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., May 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- In the United States, over 104,000 foster care children eligible for adoption are waiting to know the love of a forever family. For Bethany Christian Services, the nation's leading family preservation and adoption agency with more than 100 locations, one vulnerable child is too many. Given that, the organization is introducing No One Without (N.O.W.), an aggressive initiative to make sure no child goes without a loving family.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-time-is-now-for-foster-care-children-206664661.html

One major hurdle preventing children from being adopted are the challenges in placing children from one state with a family in another state. This can be difficult because of differing regulations and restrictions state to state. Self-proclaiming that they (Bethany) should have done something a long time ago to clear such hurdles, Bethany is committed to creating stronger internal resources to aid in overcoming these barriers: Including a database system and internal network that will allow it to match foster care children with adoptive couples across the country. The organization is also committed to working through any and all challenges of interstate adoption.

"For too long, children have been aging out of foster care. We can do more and must do more. We will be doing everything in our power to prevent that from continuing to happen," said Bill Blacquiere, president and CEO of Bethany. "With the N.O.W. campaign, we are implementing a plan that should have been introduced many years ago. The number of vulnerable children is large, but so too is the number of couples looking to open their arms and homes to such children. We urge other adoption agencies throughout the United States to join us in matching children with loving families no matter how many states may separate them geographically."

Initial roll-out for N.O.W. will take place in Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania with branches in additional states joining the campaign in subsequent years. Using its vast resources, Bethany will address the permanent placement needs of waiting children by developing a national database of prospective adoptive families and then facilitating adoption matches, including navigating the interstate agreement, and coordinating visitation, placement, and post-adoption supervision.

"Advancements in technology have made matching waiting children with prospective adoptive couples easier than it was only 10 years ago," Blacquiere stated. "The time is now for Bethany to lead the way in making sure such advancements are used to their fullest so that one day there isn't a single child in the United States who doesn't have a permanent home to call his own."  

For more information on Bethany's N.O.W. campaign, please call 1.855.485.NOW1 or email us at [email protected]

To download and use b-roll footage of older adopted children, visit https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dd6yf4gd2lc8vmc/3t14DG-TKT?n=71261519.

SOURCE Bethany Christian Services

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