As a fifth-grade teacher, Melissa Lafever always kept a close eye on a student named Gina, whose mother had passed away. Melissa knew Gina was being placed into foster care as a result — but what Melissa didn’t know was how much she would be impacted by the news. Melissa and her husband Shawn started the adoption process and welcomed Gina into their family in 2019. This year, the Lafever family also welcomed Gina’s brother Dean into the family too.
While we focus on celebrating adoption during National Adoption Month, it’s also important to hear what young people in foster care are saying about what they need in a family, what they want, what’s most important to them. Encouraging youth to have a voice in their permanency planning is empowering and keeps the focus where it should be: on what is in the child’s best interests.
Here we are in November, National Adoption Month, with virtual adoptions and limited celebrations scheduled. But, we are still celebrating! We want to celebrate all adoptions during National Adoption Month — private, international, domestic, adoptions from foster care — and honor the adoptive families and the adoptees, even if life does seem topsy-turvy these days. So, what are some ways we can celebrate in 2020, the most unusual of years in recent memory?
National Adoption Month gave us the opportunity to celebrate hundreds of adoptions in Indiana. Even though the official celebratory month is over, there are still many ways that you can support adoptive families in your community.
There are many ways to celebrate and support adoptive families during National Adoption Month. Here are some of our favorites!
We love celebrating adoptions, but it’s important to acknowledge that adoption brings with it many complex emotions, especially for adoptees.
Did you know that National Adoption Month came into being over 40 years ago, as just one week, in just one state? Learn more about this important month’s history.
National Adoption Month gives us a chance to honor adoptees and their families, and raise awareness of the need for adoptive families in Indiana.
Melissa has provided foster care and respite care to over 70 children, she has 20+ years of experience working with clients with disabilities, and she has 4 children … for now.