Families across Kansas will finalize their adoption of a child, teenager or sibling group from foster care either on or near National Adoption Day, November 19. Following tradition, many judges open their courthouse on that Saturday before Thanksgiving to complete adoptions and bring smiles to the faces of children and adults alike. In total this November, nonprofit KVC Kansas is helping to facilitate the adoptions of nearly sixty children in the Kansas City area, Topeka and other parts of eastern Kansas.

More than 100,000 U.S. children in foster care are waiting to find permanent, loving families. In Kansas, there are approximately 350 children who need adoptive families. Children available across the state can be viewed online at www.adoptkskids.org, and children served by KVC Kansas can be viewed at http://adoption.kvc.org. The profiles include photos, bios and, in some cases, videos.

One happy story is that of Bob, a 17-year-old who was in foster care and wondered if he was “too old to be adopted.” Thanks to a video shared on social media that showed his easygoing personality and his desire for a family, his story reached the perfect couple. Jerry Gross and Keira Jones responded immediately and Bob became a permanent part of their family this fall. The heart-touching story of how the family surprised Bob with their desire to adopt him is online at http://bit.ly/2eHWBSR.

KVC Kansas is a private, nonprofit organization that provides child welfare services for the Kansas Department for Children and Families’ (DCF) Kansas City metro and Eastern regions, providing case management, foster care, adoption, family preservation and aftercare services to more than 50% of all children and families in the Kansas child welfare system. KVC Health Systems, a nonprofit child welfare and behavioral healthcare organization headquartered in Olathe, is the parent organization to KVC Kansas. Since 2005, the organization has matched more than 3,385 children nationwide with adoptive families. The agency has also completed construction of the new KVC Institute for Health Systems Innovation in Olathe, Kan. which includes a high-tech Interactive Family and Adoption Center. To KVC’s knowledge, this is the first and only center of its kind devoted to matching thousands more children in foster care with adoptive families using video recording equipment, teleconferencing and social media. Learn more at www.kvc.org/institute.

Media representatives are invited to observe adoption finalizations and interview adoptive families in:

KANSAS CITY – 2:00 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 18
Wyandotte County Courthouse (710 N. 7th St. Trfy) – across the street at Division 11
Approximately 8 children’s adoptions will be finalized.

TOPEKA – 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19
Shawnee County Courthouse (200 SE 7^th St.)
This event will include a press conference for media and balloon release for families.
Approximately 22 children’s adoptions will be finalized.

OLATHE – 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19
Johnson County Courthouse (100 N. Kansas Ave.)
Approximately 11 children’s adoptions will be finalized.

In Kansas last year, there were 36,611 reports of child abuse and neglect. Currently there are:

• More than 6,000 children in foster care
• Appx. 350 children waiting to be adopted. Many of these children are eight years and older, members of a sibling group, and/or have special needs.

“National Adoption Day is one of the best days of the year,” said Danielle Bartelli, President of KVC Kansas. “For the adoptive families and especially for the children, it is the culmination of a lot of hoping, waiting and hard work. We are thankful for the families that step up to the plate to become a permanent, loving family for children who have experienced abuse and neglect. We’re also thankful to the judges throughout Kansas who bring attention to the need for more adoptive families.”

To learn more, visit www.kvckansas.org or contact us at (913) 499-8100.

About KVC Kansas

KVC Kansas is a private, nonprofit child welfare and behavioral healthcare organization. As the contractor for the Kansas Department for Children and Families’ (DCF) Eastern regions, KVC serves more than half of all children and families in the Kansas child welfare system. Services include case management, foster care, adoption, family preservation and aftercare. KVC has the nation’s longest track record of providing foster care case management among all private organizations. In its 46-year history, KVC has grown from a single home for boys in Kansas City, Kan. to a national organization touching the lives of more than 60,000 people each year. Learn more at www.kvckansas.org.