Adoption Rocks at Lake Arlington
Adoption Rocks! The 6th Annual Walk for Adoption Chicago was held at Lake Arlington in Arlington Heights on Saturday, October 3rd.
Albeit a cold and windy day, the weather could not stop the crowd of almost 300 participants and eleven adoption professionals from celebrating families created through adoption and foster care. Ruthie Jager, Miss Illinois International 2015 (an adoptee via foster care), kicked off the Walk and served as the emcee for the day. The day rocked on with a bagpipe-playing adoptive dad, a teen alternative-rock band led by an adoptive brother, as well as a DJ. Volunteers from The Sons of the American Legion Post 208 shared their grilling talents to prepare lunch for everyone. There was a bounce house, obstacle course, face painting, and much more.
Since its beginnings in 2010, Walk for Adoption Chicago has grown to become a day of celebration for all families touched by adoption and foster care; birth families as well as adoptive and foster families. The Walk is not your typical walk event though. It's not a fundraiser, but rather a day of networking, child-friendly activities, walking, lunch, and support by the adoption professional community.
Walk for Adoption Chicago began in November of 2010 out of love … a love for adoption. It was the dream of an adoptive mom and a hopeful adoptive mom with the intended purpose of honoring National Adoption Awareness Month. The Walk was designed to share with the community the beautiful option that adoption can be and to celebrate families created through both adoption and foster care. It is an event that focuses on celebrating, supporting and promoting adoption awareness.
Now making that journey are 3 adoptive moms from differing backgrounds. Each of their adoption experiences was different - different wait times, different placements, different agencies. They are pretty certain their paths would not have crossed had it not been for adoption and Walk for Adoption Chicago specifically. They firmly believe that these children who have been brought into their lives were meant to be part of their families. It truly is a miracle how each of their families has been built. It is because of these miracles that they dedicate themselves to finding ways to network, to openly talk about adoption, to give back to the adoption community and most importantly to celebrate adoption and foster care.
National Adoption Awareness Month dates back to 1976, when then-Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis made the first major effort to promote the need for adoptive families for children in foster care. Every year since then, a presidential proclamation has launched celebrations and activities to help build awareness of adoption throughout the nation.