Aspiranet commemorates National Adoption Awareness Month statewide in November​

GROVER BEACH, Calif. - Oct. 6, 2014 - PRLog -- On Saturday, Nov. 22, National Adoption Day, a part of National Adoption Month, the lives of thousands of American children will be forever changed as courts across the country open their doors and finalize adoptions for children currently in foster care. Now in its 14^th year, the National Adoption Day Coalition expects 4,500 foster care children to be adopted.

“National Adoption Month helps bring greater awareness to the growing need for more adoptive families,” said Nancy Born, Aspiranet Adoption Division Director. “Every child deserves the right to a loving, secure and permanent home to call their own. At Aspiranet, our mission is also to place, in addition to children, youth that have an even greater need for a family—older children, teenagers, youths with special needs, and sibling sets.”

Aspiranet, a leading human services agency serving foster youth and families throughout California for 39 years, is working to ensure that California children are placed in permanent, loving homes, and has impacted the lives of more than 10,000 children. Aspiranet is the second largest adoption agency in California; this year, the agency has finalized 230 adoptions and is working with an additional 300 children who are currently going through the adoption process.

For years, Kimberly Kurtzman of San Luis Obispo County wanted to become a mother, but was not sure if she could adopt as a single parent. That changed one day in 2010 when she learned about Aspiranet from a friend who was a single dad that recently adopted three children through the leading human services agency. Two-and-a-half years after reaching out to Aspiranet to inquire about adoption services, Kurtzman’s dream to become a mother became a reality in 2013 when her 5-year-old daughter Arianna’s adoption was finalized.

“The adoption did not happen overnight, but the process seemed seamless as Aspiranet worked hand-in-hand with me to help me become a certified foster parent, making it much easier,” explains Kurtzman. “Hearing my daughter say, ‘I’ll love you forever,’ made it a worthwhile process, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the extra support from the staff we received in this journey.”

According to AdoptUSKids, there are more than 55,000 children in foster care in California, and about 5,500 children are adopted each year.

Aspiranet’s Central Coast offices will be hosting an Adoption Open House on Thursday, Nov. 13, for prospective parents who would like to learn more about adopting through Aspiranet. Participants are encouraged to drop in or call to learn more and RSVP.  For more information on Aspiranet adoption services, visit www.aspiranetadoption.org, or call (877) 380-HERO.

Additional Information:

What: Aspiranet Adoption Open House

When: Thursday, Nov. 13, at 11:30 a.m –1:30 p.m. and 4:30-6:30 p.m. (Drop-ins welcome)

Where: Aspiranet Central Coast Office, 200 South 13^th St. Suite 101, Grover Beach, Calif.

About Aspiranet

Aspiranet, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charity, supports foster children, siblings, families and the community with 35 core programs offering specialized services throughout 45 locations within California. Aspiranet strengthens children, youth, families and communities through seven core programs including: Foster Care, Adoption, Residential, Transition Age Youth, Behavioral Health, Intensive Home-Based Services and Family and Community Services. Founded 39 years ago as a six-bed group home for young boys in Moss Beach, California, Aspiranet is one of the most diverse nonprofit social service agencies in the state. With a statewide network of innovative services, Aspiranet serves more than 10,000 families each year. For more information, please visit www.aspiranet.org