Council News Release

Mayor Nickels to proclaim Adoption Awareness Day
Adoption agencies and adoptive parents to share information
about adoption with city and county employees

SEATTLE - Mayor Greg Nickels will proclaim November 19 as Adoption Awareness Day for the City of Seattle at noon Friday, November 19, in the Bertha Landes Room at City Hall (5th and Cherry.) At the same event, local adoption agencies and adoptive parents will share information about adoption with employees of the city, King County government and United Way of King County.

The speakers will be Rebecca Heartz, executive director of Amara Parenting and Adoption Services (formerly Medina Children’s Services), and three adoptive parents - Seattle Municipal Court Magistrate Shirley Wilson, Seattle Firefighter Wayne Johnson and King County Juvenile Court Judge Suzanne Barnett. Representatives from local adoption agencies will host information tables.

According to recent surveys, nearly 40 percent of Americans have considered adoption and 70 percent say that if they were ever going to adopt, they would consider adopting a foster child.

The tradition of adoption awareness events was started in Massachusetts in 1976 by then-Governor Michael Dukakis. Each year, governments across the country hold events on National Adoption Awareness Day to educate the public about adoption, including adoption of older children in foster care.

Last year, more than 1,000 foster children were adopted in the State of Washington, triple the numbers adopted annually during the early 1990s. Currently, there are more than 1,500 foster children eligible for adoption in Washington, 450 in King County.

###

Office of the Mayor