May - National Foster Care Month

Reflecting on this special month, we want to honor the children in foster care and the heart-breaking number of those children who will exit care without a family.

Foster children exiting care without families face numerous challenges. These young individuals, often having experienced trauma and instability throughout their lives, leave the foster care system without the support networks typically provided by families. Without the emotional, financial, and social support of a family, they are at a higher risk of experiencing homelessness, unemployment, mental health issues, and involvement with the criminal justice system. Even in the United States, orphans need our help. Contact us to learn how you can help to support a child at risk of not having a family. 

Thank you to all who supported and attended our 2nd Annual Gala Fundraiser. Our Secret Garden was stunning and filled with a beautiful, generous, and loving community. We raised nearly $250,000 to support our fight to ensure every waiting child finds a family.

We have reason to celebrate!

Eight children in foster care are currently matched with our Hearts to Home families. We are excited to see these families grow and thrive together. If you aren’t in our Search and Support program yet, reach out to learn how we can support you on your journey of becoming a parent.

We are excited to announce a new event we will host this year. Love in Every Bite will be a community-wide dinner party and dessert reception held on Saturday, November 9th, in honor of National Adoption Month. This unique fundraising event will help support children waiting for their adoptive families. Stay tuned for more details!

Support AFTER Adoption

Did you know that a recent report by the National Council for Adoption about the experiences of adult adoptees found most adoptees expressed satisfaction with their adoption and reported overall life satisfaction? This is great news! However, the study also highlights many adoptees lacked information on their birth family history and felt their adoptive parents should be open to birth family connections. Interestingly, when adoptees were asked what they wished their parents would have done differently on their adoption journey, almost unanimously, adoptees expressed that open communication, acknowledging their race and trauma, and supporting birth family connections and relationships must be at the forefront of parenting an adoptive child. To read the full report, please click here.  

HOAA offers post-placement and post-adoption support through free virtual and in-person meetings to improve adoptive family functioning. For more information, contact [email protected].

The Invisible String by Patrice Karst

The Invisible String speaks about the connections that tie families together. Every family has an invisible string made of love. Some are connected biologically, and others are connected through adoption. The string is made of love through good and bad times. If you reside in Hillsborough County, you can borrow this book for free through our electronic library system.

FREE Education Courses!

Creating a Family, the national foster, adoption, and kinship education & support non-profit, offers 12 FREE online education courses for adoptive, foster, and kinship parents.   These courses are aimed at providing education to families parenting a child exposed to trauma. Topics include: 

• Helping your Child Cope with Living in a Scary World 

•  Understanding and Overcoming Blocked Care 

• Parenting Adopted Teens and Young Adults 

• Helping Autistic Kids Shine 

Event Calendar

June 8: Virtual Adoption Recruitment Event with Safe Children Coalition @ 10 am

June 11: WAIT Group @ 6 pm

July 9: WAIT Group @ 6 pm

June/July: Pizza Meetups: See our website for dates/locations

Positive reviews from birth parents and adoptive families help prospective clients feel confident about choosing our adoption services. Could you take 60 seconds to go to Google and share your happy experiences?