San Francisco, California) The City of San Francisco and a Bay Area adoption agency Thursday launched a campaign to urge members of the LGBT community to become adoptive parents.
The campaign's goal is to recruit individuals and couples to adopt older children who are currently in the foster care system.
These older children can be difficult to place, as most prospective parents prefer younger children, said adoption agency Family Builders which designed the campaign.
Older children are many times left to grow up without permanent families and have to face the world without the kind of family support that most of us take for granted the agency said.
The campaign will be focus on Bay Area transit, billboards, websites, and in print publications, using controversial political buzzwords to challenge perceptions about what it means to be a family.
The terms "Family Planning" and "Intelligent Design" are used to describe the experience of being an adoptive family to an older child. In addition to LGBT people, African Americans and single parents are depicted in the project.
"There are so many people in the LGBT and African American communities who would make fantastic parents for children and youth in foster care," said Jill Jacobs, Family Builders Executive Director.
"We need them to know that they have what it takes to create extraordinary families, and we're here to help them."
The campaign is being funded by City's Human Services Agency.
"This effort is a win-win," said HSA director Trent Rhorer.
"Children growing up without parents get what they need most, parents who will love and care for them. LGBT parents have an opportunity to build their families in a welcoming and affirming environment."
"LGBT families understand how important it is to have loving and supportive parents," said San Francisco Supervisor Bevan Dufty.
"Many of us didn't have that in our own lives, so we have a special interest in seeing that children in foster care are loved and provided for."
©365Gay.com 2007
Justice MH's Thoughts: I think this is a good thing to give a kids home, with love , and good parents. This campaign should be a success!
