Published: May 14, 2008 02:05 pm            

May Is National Foster Care Month

ALEXANDRIA, VA – May is National Foster Care Month, and the National Council For Adoption (NCFA) and Wal-Mart are jointly launching the Families For All public awareness campaign to inspire American families to consider what they can do to help children in foster care.

Today there are more than a half-million children in foster care in the United States who need a safe and loving home, including 129,000 children who are waiting to be adopted. The Families For All public awareness program is designed to help Americans realize that these children need and deserve a family to call their own and that everyone can play a role in making that happen.

“There are 55-million married couple households, and millions of qualified single adults who could provide loving families for these vulnerable children,” said Tom Atwood, NCFA President and CEO. “We want to take advantage of National Foster Care Month to remind them that there is no better time than now to adopt, foster-parent, or mentor a child in foster care.”

Wal-Mart is supporting NCFA in launching the Families For All public awareness campaign with a generous donation of $75,000. The funds will be used for public service announcements, the development of a Web site, and a virtual radio and television news tour by NCFA National Adoption Spokesperson and award-winning country music recording artist Rodney Atkins.

“Wal-Mart is excited to partner with Rodney Atkins and the National Council For Adoption to inspire Americans to help these children in need,” said Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, Wal-Mart’s Senior Vice President and Tax Counsel. “We believe that there is enough love in America to provide families for all these children.”

Ms. Babineaux-Fontenot’s hope is based on personal experience. Her parents Warren and Mary Alice Babineaux foster-parented more than 100 children and adopted four of them. The Babineauxs were recently inducted into NCFA’s Adoption Hall of Fame and the subjects of a NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams “Making a Difference” segment.

“Wal-Mart is providing crucial support that will help the National Council For Adoption encourage better care for children in foster homes. NCFA deeply appreciates Wal-Mart’s generous efforts to assist some of society’s most vulnerable members,” Atwood concluded.

        

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