Families meet children in person or by videoconference at adoption event

Published 12:13 pm Friday, October 2, 2009

ATLANTA — Prospective adoptive families will have an opportunity to meet approximately 20 children, each with the hope of finding a permanent family, at an adoption gathering on Saturday, October 17, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the Cherokee Retreat Center in White.

Sponsored by the Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS), this event will give prospective adoptive parents a unique opportunity to meet the children in a comfortable, fun-filled environment. Families who are unable to attend the gathering in White may still interact with this same group of children via video on Saturday, October 17, from 10 a.m. to noon. Videoconference sites will be set up at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Esquire Solutions in Atlanta and Augusta, Macon State University and Valdosta State University.

“The focus of these events is to find stable, loving and permanent families for our children,” said Mark Washington, assistant commissioner of DHS. “The children are busy with fun games and activities, so prospective families can see them as they really are.”

There are approximately 2,200 children in Georgia who need adoptive families. They are typically 8 years old and older, African American and/or a member of a sibling group being placed together.

Families interested in adopting older children or learning more about the program are encouraged to attend either the event in White or one of the videoconference sites. To avoid confusion, only children in need of adoptive families should attend the adoption gathering. Families who plan to attend one of the videoconference sites are more than welcome to bring their children.

For more information, call toll-free 877- 242-5774 or visit the DHS Web site at www.dfcs.dhs.georgia.gov/adoptions.